


Hey Specs

by arivess



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 33,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22446247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arivess/pseuds/arivess
Summary: Modern/high school AU.Noctis Gar is a scholarship student at a boarding school who wants nothing more than to get some good marks, hang out with his best friend and roommate, Prompto Argentum, and not let anyone discover his real identity as Noctis Lucis Caelum, the heir to the mega conglomerate Lucis Corp. The only person who knows his secret is a mysterious contact known only as "Specs".Through a series of unfortunate events, Noctis gets blackmailed into joining the cooking club and becoming a server at their student-run cafe by the head chef, upperclassman Ignis Scientia, who seems to know far too much about him.Despite his misgivings, Noctis gets closer to Ignis than he could ever imagine.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75
Collections: The Ignoct Big Bang 2019





	1. Plan D

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Ignoct Big Bang 2019.
> 
> This was supposed to be a rom-com, and and got a bit longer and more serious than intended, and I suck at titles.
> 
> This premise for the fic is mildly based off of both Ouran High School Host Club and Dengeki Daisy. However, the story doesn't follow either one, and no knowledge of either is required.
> 
> Accompanying art by the wonderful Kirakanjo (https://kirakanjo.tumblr.com/) here: https://kirakanjo.tumblr.com/post/190525114156/hey-specs-chapter-1-arivess-final-fantasy-xv!
> 
> All the thanks in the world would not express my gratitude to my good friend Arietta for betaing this. Thank you for the puns, threats, moral support, and conspicuous lack of raid days when I needed it.

_Hey Specs._

_So here's week one done._

_Doesn't feel too different from middle school, tbh. Only real difference is they gave us way more electives._

_Prompto and I managed to get into most of our classes together, so there's that too._

_I mean, I'm not really into photography and he sure doesn't care about biochem, but it beats not having a friendly face around._

_You doing okay yourself?_

_How's dad?_

_I haven't heard from him since the "scholarship" ceremony, but he's in the news every two days._

Noctis paused. There was more he could say, so much more, but it was much better left unsaid. It was Friday, after all, and he, as a newly inducted high school student, had a duty to not ruin Fridays with angry thoughts of overly occupied fathers.

It was on this Friday, a beautiful, balmy day of gentle sunlight and caressing winds, that Noctis's life went to hell.

It started with the arcade. Noctis and Prompto went to the arcade every Friday during the school year, tearing out of their last classes at the first sound of the bell and dashing over as fast as their legs could carry them - or as fast as Noctis's legs could carry him, at least; Prompto, Mr. Track and Field Scholarship himself, took the trip as a mild warm-up. They had visited only sporadically during the summer, but now that school was in full swing, so was their old ritual: arcade, burger, and ice cream.

The arcade was closed.

They noticed this, not from the darkened interior or from the CLOSED sign hung, helpfully, at eye level, but from Prompto's face hitting the very definitely shut door as he tried to walk in.

Noctis, for his part, managed to stop himself.

"Ow," Prompto said. And then, "It's closed."

"Yeah," Noctis answered. "It is."

"But _why_?"

Now that he'd had a chance to look, Noctis could see that, in fact, every single storefront in the small plaza that housed the arcade appeared to be closed.

"Dunno. Maybe some kinda holiday they didn't tell us about?"

Whatever the reason, it was clear that there was no arcading to be had, nor burgers, nor ice cream. It was time for Plan B.

Plan B involved going back to their dorm, making Cup Noodles, and watching movies on the internet. Failproof.

Except when it wasn't.

"It'd be just like our teachers to keep us in class on a secret holiday," Prompto grumbled as he opened and closed their kitchen cupboards.

Noctis made a noise of agreement and propped open his laptop. Neither he nor Prompto hated - or even mildly disliked - their teachers, really, but he was pretty sure they were obligated to complain about them. He'd somewhat regretted his offhand suggestion that it may be a holiday, because he was pretty sure it wasn't, and Prompto had taken the idea and run with it and didn't stop running, but it wasn't something he could very well take back now. All he needed was a distraction, like…

"Hey Noct, I can't find the noodles."

"Weird," Noctis said, glad for the interruption, until he processed the words. "Wait, what do you mean you can't find them? Bottom shelf beside the sink?"

"Yeah! I looked!" There was a shuffling sound, and Prompto came into view holding a large cardboard tray. "And all I found was this."

Noctis distinctly remembered reaching into that tray just a few hours ago and finding a cup for lunch. He did not remember whether or not it was empty after that.

"Well, anyway," Prompto continued, ignoring Noctis's not-at-all guilty silence, "we can just order a pizza or something, right?"

"Um. Well." Noctis took a deep breath. He'd been trying to make it work for the last however many minutes, but… "You're not gonna like this. The internet isn't connecting."

So after some declarations bemoaning their fates, Noctis and Prompto moved onto Plan C.

"C stands for Cafeteria," Prompto explained.

"Pretty sure Cup Noodles doesn't start with B."

"Look, that's B-side the point!"

So to the cafeteria they capered, cavorting cross the courtyard.

The cafeteria of Maagho High was, by all objective counts, one of the greatest school cafeterias in the country, contested only by Galdyn High's "Mother of Pearl". Important visitors touring Lucis Corp's schools and facilities often found themselves guided to Maagho around noon, where they were treated to a culinary experience worthy of presidents and kings. Food worthy of presidents and kings, as it so happened, usually carried a price tag for presidents and kings. This price wasn't an issue for the upper echelons of the student base but made the cafeteria an impossible choice for scholarship students like Noctis and Prompto outside of the most desperate of situations.

Rapidly growing hunger made this a most desperate of situations.

"Sorry, we're full," said the cafeteria attendant in the face of their hunger and desperation.

"Well, we sure aren't," Noctis muttered at the same time Prompto exclaimed, loudly, "What do you mean you're full?"

"Every seat has been reserved from this morning until midnight." The attendant, while sounding smug, looked just the right amount of apologetic. "If you'd like a walk-in spot, I could page you when we have one free, but you'd be numbers 937 and 938."

Prompto stared. Noctis stared.

"The outage in the city," the attendant said by way of explanation.

More stares.

"There have been major outages since last night," the attendant elaborated. "Most establishments in the city are currently out of commission. This school has a secondary power generator, so it hasn't affected our students, but we're finding ourselves with many extra mouths to feed."

That was one mystery solved. Noctis slumped against the wall. He was starting to not like mysteries so much.

"So… what now?" Prompto asked.

"Dunno." They didn't have a Plan D. _Usually_ , the situation never escalated beyond Plan B - or even A.

"What about that girl you keep texting? Think she has any food to feed us?"

It took a moment for Noctis to process the question. His face burned once he realized. "I keep telling you, Specs isn't a girl. He's a guy who's friends with my dad. He just checks up on me while dad's out of the country on business."

The story rolled easily off his tongue by now, half-truths sprinkled with enough lies to hide his identity.

"Yeah, yeah, all right." Prompto waved his hands dismissively. "Think this _guy_ you keep texting has any food to feed us?"

"I'm not contacting dad's friend to fetch us dinner!"

"But it's an emergency!" Prompto insisted with a pitiful whine. "Surely it'd be a breach of whatever he's told your dad about looking after you if you went and died of hunger!"

Noctis rolled his eyes. He was going to answer that they weren't going to die in one day. He was going to say that Specs had never once agreed to meet him, and he wasn't likely to start now. But then his stomach let out an earth-shaking rumble and he pulled out his phone.

No answer yet. That was probably just as well.

_Hey Specs. I need your help._

Well, that was short and succinct. And probably gave all of the wrong impressions.

_There's no food,_ Noctis added, feeling dumber by the second. But he couldn't take it back now. _All the stores are closed, and the cafeteria's fully booked. Got any ideas?_

He shouldn't have listened to Prompto, shouldn't have bothered his dad's secret agent with something trivial, shouldn't have eaten that last Cup Noodle earlier…

A small buzz a moment later alerted Noctis to a new text. Prompto read over his shoulder. "'Perhaps an overlooked school club may have food? Many would have refreshments for new members.' ...Omigod that's _brilliant_!"

"Yeah," Noctis said through a sense of pride and relief. "Yeah, it is. He is."

_Thanks, Specs. We'll try._

Finding a club with food was easier said than done. Many clubs _had_ refreshments, as Specs had suggested, but by this hour were down to some stale crumbs and smeared icing. Most had even wanted them to join for the privilege of eating those last crumbs, to which Noctis politely declined despite Prompto's puppy eyes.

("Maybe we can join the photography club!"

"Look, you can join it _next_ week, when we're not hungry. They didn't even have snacks.")

And then, finally, _finally_ , after what seemed like hours of searching, they came across a Cup Noodles Appreciation Club.

"We're saved!" Prompto cheered.

They weren't.

The club _appreciated_ Cup Noodles, the sole member explained, not even looking at the two as he carefully painted a styrofoam hat shaped like a noodle cup. They didn't _eat_ Cup Noodles. Well, at least they didn't share them with newbies who didn't even think to bring their own.

"I give up," Noctis declared after that fiasco.

"But Noct! Wasting your dear… father's... friend's valuable advice?"

Noctis sighed. His stomach grumbled and his feet whined, but his heart clenched a breath at that. Prompto was more right than he knew. Specs had said so, and Specs had never led him astray. He must have known something, just waiting for Noctis to discover…

"Hey, yous guys the ones checkin' out all the clubs?"

Noctis turned. Gelled hair, flashy jewelry, clothing that was just a touch too fancy to be casual and a touch too cheap to be formal. In front of them stood the most obnoxious-looking (and -sounding) upperclassman he'd seen in his entire week at school.

"Heard yous guys was lookin' for food," the guy continued, without waiting for a reply. "Well, I happen to run Maagho's premier cooking club and student cafe. Interested?"

Noctis changed his mind. In front of them stood an angel.


	2. Meteor Munchies

Meteor Munchies. That was where Noctis and Prompto found themselves. It sounded cute and casual. Cozy, even. Dino - as their mysterious saviour introduced himself - regaled them with its storied history on the way, up the stairs and through a winding hallway to an unassuming room labeled "305". It was established two years ago, they should know - the club, not the cafe - and used to be infamous amongst the student base. They would take clandestine orders and hand out the goods during lunch, the worst-kept secret of the school. Throngs of students would line the halls, waiting for their very own black market share. Noctis wondered how much of it was true.

"Eventually we got busted," Dino continued, sounding not the slightest bit bothered. "Well, these things happen. But our chef managed to negotiate some kinda deal with the headmaster to open an actual cafe instead. Didn't know the guy could do magic, but whatever works. So that's where yous guys come in."

"Er… as customers you mean?" Noctis asked as he tried to untangle the conversation.

"Somethin' like that." Dino flashed him a smile that was a little too bright. "'Course, you're a bit more rough 'round the edges than our usual clientele, but we never turn away an empty stomach, long as your wallet ain't."

"We have money," Noctis assured him, because, really, how much could one meal - and not, he could add, at the world-famous Maagho High cafeteria - cost?

How much _could_ one meal cost, Noctis started wondering, once they stepped inside the room-turned-cafe, and did he honestly have enough money to cover it? Cute, casual, and cozy, this cafe was not. If the cafeteria was fit for kings, Meteor Munchies was the queen's own parlour. There were plush couches and curtains of lacy silk, delicate cups and plates that closer resembled works of art. Students in their Sunday best sat around tables that shone like polished silver.

Noctis could see how he and Prompto were definitely not their usual clientele.

"Welcome."

Noctis only had a quick moment to gawk before the most handsome man in the world greeted them with a bow.

"Ignis Scientia," the handsome man identified himself as he led them to a table. "It will be my pleasure to serve you today."

"You're a part of the cooking club?" Prompto asked, gaping. Noctis was impressed the blond could even manage to talk; he himself certainly couldn't.

"I am," Ignis answered. "I believe this is your first visit. Shall I bring a menu?"

The menu, as it turned out, was a gilded sheet of something that looked like it was probably hand-made and belonged in an art gallery. Most of the listings were impossible to pronounce and cost more than their monthly food budget.

"Er." Noctis cleared his throat, feeling a blush creep up his neck. He'd been so confident coming in, but he definitely needed 300,000 gil more than he needed a Royal Banquet Canapé. He looked over for Prompto's reaction, but the blond was still busy staring, completely starstruck. "Is there anything… not in the hundreds of thousands of gil range?"

"Indeed." A long, graceful finger travelled down the page, stopping at the last item. "May I recommend our special? It is, perhaps, our distinguishing feature, one could say. For a flat fee of 2000 gil, we will provide you with a full meal of our choosing."

That was certainly better than whatever else he could order, but... "That's pretty expensive for mystery food."

Ignis held up a hand at the protest. "Many of our clients enjoy the adventure. That said, worry not, we guarantee you'll enjoy your meal. Well, perhaps not the complimentary salad, but I digress."

By the time Noctis had a moment to process "salad", Ignis had already gone - off to fetch the offending green stuff, if Noctis had to guess. Several moments later, Noctis would remember with a chill that somehow, a stranger knew his distaste for vegetables. For now, he was distracted by the loud whisper across the table.

"He's a _student_ ," Prompto said, eyes wide, as soon as Ignis was out of earshot. " _That_ was a _student_."

"Fourth year, maybe." To be fair, Noctis was just as impressed, but he'd rather play it cool.

"That means I can look like that in three years!"

Noctis arched an eyebrow, but didn't deign to comment. Instead, he passed the time with another look around. They were seated at a small table by the windows, in the least frilly section he could see in the room - and the most out of the way. The two of them in their rumpled school uniforms stood out like a pair of sore thumbs amongst the gilded finery of the other students.

Laughter erupted from a corner of the room; Noctis turned to see a group of girls flocking around a tall, broad man who could not possibly be a student - but they'd already been surprised more than twice that day, so what was one more? Prompto looked at the girls longingly. For their own part, they, the two bachelors, were accompanied by nothing but various luscious and beautiful potted plants.

It was only a few minutes before their salads came, as promised. Noctis was wildly disappointed.

"It's good," Prompto said around a mouthful of greens.

"It's chocobo food." Noctis was not touching it, even though his stomach growled, asking him to put something, _anything_ in, even some raw leaves.

" _Good_ chocobo food."

There was no such thing as a good salad, as far as Noctis was concerned. But he was so, _so_ hungry. How bad could it be? Prompto liked it, clearly.

Prompto was a _liar_ when it came to food, Noctis decided after the first bite. Either that, or the blond enjoyed the taste of dirt - sour, spicy, _bitter_ dirt. Thus did Prompto the Dirt-Lover get an extra salad while whatever Noctis didn't choke down of his mouthful went to feed the plant next to him, green hiding innocuously against green.

By the time the main course arrived, Noctis had rather recovered from the ordeal by downing an entire glass of water.

"For Mr. Prompto Argentum," Ignis said, ignoring the start from the two, "peppered anak steak with a side of steamed vegetables."

One steaming plate landed in front of Prompto.

"And for Mr. Noctis… Gar, a mother and child rice bowl."

Noctis's eyes widened. His mouth watered in a way that was almost enough to make him forget to wonder how a stranger knew his favourite dish. Almost enough to make him ignore the pause in his name.

Almost.

"How did…"

"We aim to serve our clients with utmost perfection," Ignis said, the bright smile on his face at odds with the edge that laced his voice, "be they a scholarship student or the heir to a mega conglomerate corporation."

Ignis knew. And Noctis knew that he knew, as Ignis knew that he knew that he knew.

Prompto, on the other hand, most certainly did not know. "Man, so you're like secret service butlers in addition to cooks? That's so cool!"

Ignis tilted his head, the smallest incline of a nod. "You can think of it that way. And if you ever care to join, you need only speak to our illustrious club president."

"We're not interested," Noctis cut in, before Ignis could put any _ideas_ into Prompto's head, as impressionable as the blond was. He felt too anxious to enjoy himself now, and the erstwhile delicious food tasted like ashes in his mouth. "Actually, could we get the bill soon? I've got a project to finish tonight." A kick under the table silenced Prompto's protest. "Unlike the rest of your _clientele_ , us scholarship students have to keep our marks up to stay here."

"Certainly." If Ignis was offended by Noctis's curtness, he didn't let it show. There was no trace on his face of anything other than a patient smile that Noctis found oddly threatening. "Would you like your desserts to go?"

"Dessert!" Prompto declared, eyes wide as saucers, and thus went all of Noctis's plans to decline.

2000 gil and half an hour later, Noctis was sitting on his bed, staring at his phone. Thoughts ran through his mind, fears that he wanted to share with the only person who would understand them. And yet, the last thing he wanted to do was to make Specs worried.

_Hey, uh._

_Sorry about the panic earlier. Prompto and I were really hungry._

_I guess you know about all that stuff already._

_We managed to find a cooking club. Food was… good._

_Speaking of which, thanks. For everything. I feel like I'm always depending on you._

_Man, what a way to end my first week. At least you saved us from total disaster._

Was it good to end it there? Noctis wasn't sure. He didn't want to alarm Specs, but there was the nagging fear in the back of his mind. If he were to be found out, it would put Prompto in danger too.

In the end, he settled on a compromise.

_Also, um. Sorry to bother you more, but could you run a background on an Ignis Scientia? He should be a student here. Third, fourth year?_

And… sent. Well, no takebacks now.

It wasn't more than a few minutes of nervous waiting before Noctis received his reply.

_Hello again, Noct. I'm glad you're not going hungry. For your earlier question: last I heard, your father is doing well. In fact, I'll be seeing him tomorrow. I'm sure he's looking forward to the update about you._

_As for Ignis Scientia, he is not a marked person of interest to us, but I will endeavour to keep an eye on him in the future. From what I can find, he is a third-year student from abroad who transferred to Maagho for its lauded hospitality and culinary arts program. He is most well known for turning down every would-be suitor and breaking hearts schools over. Incidentally, it appears he is, in fact, the head - or shall I say only - chef of the cooking club you ran into today. Despite the name, the other members are involved only in running the cafe, which I suppose is less strange for your school._

Noctis smiled to himself as he read. He'd forgotten how… verbose Specs could get. But he didn't mind; every word made him feel the presence of his mysterious benefactor, gave him a sense of safety and comfort. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he'd been reading too much into Ignis's words, and the upperclassman was simply that.

Third year, eh. Noctis smirked. That made Ignis only two years older than them. Prompto would freak out if he heard. In fact, Noctis could hear him freaking out through his closed door.

Loudly.

"Omigosh Noct it's a chocobo," seemed to be the flavour of the freaking out.

Ignis was most definitely _not_ a chocobo, Noctis wanted to say, before realizing it was likely something completely unrelated.

It wasn't quite unrelated, Noctis discovered, as he headed into the kitchen and the environs of the screams. On the table sat two small boxes, their desserts courtesy of the cooking club. One was open. Prompto was alternating between pointing at it, taking photos of it, and screeching like a banshee.

"Noct, look! A chocobo!" Prompto grabbed Noctis and pulled him closer, jabbing a finger at the bright yellow cupcake in the box, which was, in fact, shaped like a chocobo. "It's so cute and fluffy and amazing and do you think they'll marry me."

"Who, the chocobo?" Noctis fought to keep his face straight. "Not if you eat it."

Prompto swatted at his arm. " _No_ , the _chef_!"

"Dunno. I've heard he's turned down everyone who's ever asked him out though."

"Wha--who--how do you know all this?"

Noctis gave a nonchalant shrug. "A little bird told me. He's only two years older than us, by the way. You've got a lot of growing to do if you wanna look like that."

"Wait, so you mean…"

"Yeah, our supermodel server made your chocobo. Good luck, I'm rooting for you, et cetera."

"You're so mean, Noct." With a whine, Prompto settled down to eat his cupcake after taking approximately 47 more photos.

Noctis had forgotten about the dessert since they'd gotten back. Giving Prompto his favourite animal as a cupcake seemed on the verge of creepy, again, but it wasn't as if Prompto kept quiet about it. Besides, with Specs's reassurance, Noctis felt much less on edge.

In the box labelled "Noctis" sat a small pastry with a perfectly golden crust and filling that shone like a pool of blood. It looked too elegant to be for a common student, and too familiar to be an accident.

Heart pounding, Noctis took a bite. The sweet and tart flavour brought back memories of fields of blue flowers, of a girl with long golden hair and a bespectacled boy with the most intense emerald gaze. It was a flavour Noctis had not tasted in more years than he could remember.

On the bottom of the box lay a note written in a neat hand.

_Ulwaat berry - a favourite of the heir of Lucis. May tartness lead you down sweet memory lane._

Noctis nearly dropped the remains of his pastry. Sure, Ignis had implied that he knew Noctis's secret, but it could have been a bluff, perhaps a cold reading. This made it crystal clear that it was neither. If Ignis knew, what did he want? Money? Influence? A hostage against Lucis Corp? But if that were the case, surely Specs would have been up on the take.

"Hey, bud, you okay?"

Prompto's voice brought Noctis back to the present, where the blond was looking at him with no small amount of concern.

Noctis forced out a chuckle. "Yeah, sorry. Just zoned out for a sec there."

"No kidding. That tart must be either really bad or _really_ good."

"It's… it's good." Noctis shoved the rest of it into his mouth. It _was_ good, criminally so, just like the mastermind who'd made it.

The possibly criminal or not mastermind that Noctis really should stop thinking about.

And he was going to do just that, by turning in early.


	3. Morning News

The sun wasn't high up yet before Prompto did the unthinkable and tried to shake Noctis awake. It was Saturday, Noctis managed to process, on the border of sleep, which meant that he did not, in fact, need to be anywhere near conscious for at least another five hours, probably more.

"Go 'way," he told the way-too-excitable blur that was probably his best friend, possibly soon-to-be _former_ best friend if this kept up.

"But Noct, it's important!"

More important than his beauty sleep? Noctis thought not. He grunted and rolled towards the wall, pulling his sheet over his head to show Prompto just how he felt about this important info.

"So I went on a run this morning, right," Prompto started, nonplussed, and Noctis didn't have the energy to tell him that yes, he went on a run _every_ morning, this wasn't anything special, not like sleeping in, which only happened on the weekends and holidays now that school started up again. "And it was plastered all over all the newspapers."

"You don't read newspapers," Noctis mumbled. Then his brows knit in confusion, and he poked his head out the tiniest bit. "Wait, your run was?"

"No, silly, the news!"

Ah yes, news in the newspaper. Noctis didn't know why he bothered asking.

"You know our scholarship sponsor, Regis Lucis Caelum?" Prompto continued.

Suddenly, sleep didn't seem that important anymore. Noctis jolted awake.

"Yeah?" Noctis asked cautiously, keeping his voice casual. "What about him?"

"Well, something _happened_ to him last night." The way Prompto said "happened" made it clear it was nothing good.

It was like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. Noctis stayed silent, trusting that the blond will continue, because he couldn't talk without his voice cracking, without giving himself away.

"Says here it was a car accident," Prompto continued, indeed, ignorant of the fear choking Noctis. "He was going home from a late-night function when the car swerved and went over the railing on Insomnia Bridge. The police think the driver might be drunk, but they're still investigating. It just happened last night so they haven't even managed to find the car or bodies yet."

The words barely made sense in Noctis's head. In one ear, out the other, as if they were talking about a stranger, as if they weren't not talking about his _dad_ , his only family.

Well, to Prompto, they weren't. And to Noctis, they shouldn't be.

Noctis swallowed the lump in his throat and willed his voice to be steady. "That's a shock."

"Tell me about it." Prompto peered at him. "You okay? You're looking kinda pale and I don't wanna be a liar."

"Yeah. Fine." Noctis's breath hitched, and he tried again. Personally, he thought he was looking just swell, considering the circumstances. "M'fine. What do you mean liar?"

"Oh, uh," Prompto gave an embarrassed chuckle and held out a crushed paper bag. "I ran into Ignis. You know, on my run. Um, not literally. Anyway, he asked how we were, and he gave me some croissants to share with you!"

Noctis narrowed his eyes. So the mastermind _was_ involved. Did he know what happened to Noctis's father, too? Was this charming of Prompto - the blond was happily going on now about how Ignis was handsome _and_ generous - some part of his evil plan?

"And I told him we were both fine so uh," Prompto gave him another worried look. "You _are_ fine, right?"

"Yeah, I just… need to go back to bed." That was as good an excuse as any, and one that the blond readily bought.

"Right! It's not even noon yet. I'll just leave the rest of these here."

Noctis curled back under his blanket, and waited. There was the sound of Prompto padding away. There, the click of the door. Then, silence.

After making sure he was alone, Noctis reached a hand out for his phone. A wave of panic washed over him at the blinking notification light, despite the fact that it was entirely expected.

Seven messages. There were seven messages from Specs, and Noctis had missed them all, hadn't even remotely heard the rings. He fumbled as he swiped over to the first one, time-stamped at 12:03 AM.

_Noct, I don't want to startle you, but something has befallen your father. I am running what investigations I can and will let you know of anything that turns up. Please stay vigilant; you may be in danger as well._

Just past midnight. Was that when the accident happened? Noctis felt numb.

The next message came at 12:47.

_There has been scant information to be had. I am aware you are most likely asleep, but if you see this, I need to know you're still all right._

The next four messages were along the same lines, urgent and worried, each a couple hours apart, all but begging for a response, ending just before 9. The last message, stamped 10:21, was much calmer.

_Noct, I believe I've learned as much as I can for now. I will apprise you of what I know when you awaken._

Noctis swallowed a wave of guilt. There he was, sleeping in, when Specs was up all night worrying about him and investigating, when his dad got into an accident, maybe _died_.

He quickly typed out a message: _I'm okay. Sorry for worrying you._

He'd just started on a longer message when he received one back.

_Thank the Astrals. I don't know what I would have done, should anything have happened to you._

Noctis paused, his heart doing a flip. Specs's devotion always made his breath catch - and then made him wonder what he'd done to deserve it. Still, it filled him with warmth and gave him a moment of respite.

Another message came a few seconds later.

_I apologize for the outburst. That was most unbecoming._

At that, Noctis cracked a small smile, one he didn't think he would have been capable of.

_Hey, Specs. Sorry, I didn't hear any of the messages. Prompto woke me up with a newspaper article about dad. It's hard to believe._

Is there some way it could be a mistake, he wanted to write. But it wasn't, just as there wasn't a point in wishing otherwise. Noctis stared at the message for a good minute before hitting send.

The reply came slower this time, and no surprise. The amount of information Specs had managed to gather overnight was mind-boggling, though he downplayed his accomplishments.

_Then you know most of it already. Your father was at a meeting with Niflheim Corp last night on their invitation regarding a bio-weapon they want to collaborate on. The meeting went sour with Regis's refusal to cooperate. He was driven home by one of the glaives that accompanied him - information is tight, but I believe it was Ulric. As the article stated, the car swerved and went over the railing in the middle of Insomnia Bridge. Logically, no one can survive a fall from that height, even into water, but they haven't found car or either body yet, and Niflheim is getting antsy. I don't believe the two to be unconnected. However, I'm having trouble believing Ulric would be drunk or traitor, which means they must have been attacked._

Noctis didn't realize his fists were clenched until he'd finished reading. He'd known Niflheim had some designs on their company and had sought to negotiate with his dad on multiple occasions, but this…

He was trying to remember the glaive in question when the next message came in.

_By the way, a tidbit the media doesn't know yet. Shortly after the "accident", someone broke into Regis's office and turned it upside down. The video footage shows a dark shadow frantically searching. It's likely they were looking for something, and it's as likely they didn't find it. No one else knows of this yet except Clarus Amicitia and Titus Drautos. I believe the would-be thief may come after you upon not finding whatever it is in your father's effects. Be careful._

Noctis couldn't decide if he was more scared or angry. Someone _murdered_ his dad to steal something, and he might be next. It was ridiculous and suddenly made the world seem too real.

_I will, thanks._ He hesitated and then added, _How did they get into dad's office? Even I need a clearance code._

The next message chilled him even more.

_I believe it may be an inside job. Someone in Lucis is working with - or for - Niflheim. They may also know your whereabouts already. Stay safe, Noct, no matter what. Trust no one._

Who, Noctis wanted to ask, but his hands shook too much to even type. Later, then. After he'd had time to think about it himself.

Noctis stuffed his face full of croissant and went back to a fitful sleep.


	4. Hello, Chef

Acting normal was difficult when every site, every ad, every blog talked about your dad's death and you had to pretend it had nothing to do with you.

In two days, Noctis felt as if he'd aged ten years. He'd learned to smile and joke like everything was fine, and everyone seemed to believe him - except Prompto, who kept asking if he was all right. And he wasn't, but he'd be even less all right if he dragged his best friend into it and caused something to happen to him, too.

Snippets of broadcasts followed him everywhere, on the internet, on the radio, blaring from tv screens in the shops and arcade. There was Clarus Amicitia, with long speech after long speech expressing his sorrow and regrets. (But as VP of Lucis Corp, he took over as acting president, Noctis noted.) There was Drautos Titus, making apology after apology on behalf of his glaives' failure, and promise after promise of doing better in the future. (Better for whom or what, Noctis wanted to ask. His dad was already gone.) The interviews covered everyone they could, from Cor Leonis, Regis's executive admin, to Jared Hester, the Amicitias' _butler_. It was a field day for the media, and Noctis was certain not a single one of them even cared.

The question on everyone's lips soon became apparent: where was Noctis Lucis Caelum? Clarus insisted that Noctis was safe, and would be safer hidden. Drautos argued that nothing would protect him better than the most well-trained security team on the planet. If Noctis had to decide, he'd say both of them were suspect - as long as he was out of the picture, Clarus would control the company; and how well could Drautos _really_ protect him when he'd let his dad down already?

Noctis said as much to Specs.

_I agree,_ came the quick reply. _Though I believe it may be better to lie low for now. You wouldn't want to leap out of the frying pan and into the fire._

He was on Clarus's side then, Noctis noted in the back of his mind. Would he tell Noctis to hand the company over to the man he'd regarded as an uncle growing up? Sit back and be safe while his father's legacy slipped like sand through his open fingers?

_Is that really the best choice? Can I trust you, Specs?_

Noctis regretted the question already as soon as he'd asked it, but the fervour of the answer made his chest clench painfully.

_Astrals be my witnesses, I would sooner carve out my heart than betray you, Noct. I will do everything in my power to aid and protect you, no matter the cost. Should you decide differently from my advice, I will follow you without a word of complaint._

And so Noctis waited, and acted normal. He played video games with Prompto. Ate dinner with a group of friends. Talked and laughed and laughed and talked and hated every agonizing second that crawled by without bringing him answers.

Monday came with a return to classes, a welcome distraction that quickly proved to be a sham. Every teacher had to get in their word about Mr. Lucis Caelum, the school sponsor. In the middle of the morning, they had an emergency assembly, where Cor Leonis himself appeared with a sour face to assure everyone that Lucis Corp will continue supporting the school and the scholarship students.

"Whew," Prompto said, as they milled out of the auditorium. "I was kinda worried they'd just kick us out. I mean, the whole thing blows, but what can plebs like us do right?"

"Yeah, same." The responses were in-built now. "Guess things will go on as usual."

"Yep, and that means classes! ...I gotta go to the can before class."

That was how Noctis found himself alone and standing next to one Ignis Scientia.

Noctis didn't recognize him at first, in truth. Dressed in school uniform instead of his too-fancy waiter getup, Ignis looked much more like a student and a normal person. Though, Noctis had to note, he still looked very elegant. Sophisticated. Snobby?

It would be all too easy to pretend he hadn't seen him and sneak away, but then Ignis spoke.

"Hello, Noctis. What a coincidence."

"Uh, yeah." If Noctis had had time to think, he probably could have said that it wasn't a coincidence at all, that they were students at the same school who had just come out of the same auditorium. He could also have said that with Ignis, nothing seemed like a coincidence. But the words flew right out of his mind.

"I'm sorry to hear about Mr. Lucis Caelum." Ignis inclined his head towards Cor, a distance away and surrounded by students and staff members alike. "He was truly a great man, and he will be missed."

There was nothing but sincerity, and for once, Noctis felt his tension ease around the older student. "Yeah. He was. He will be."

"And you? How are you holding up?"

The off-handed remark nearly threw Noctis off, but he recovered with a casual shrug. "Fine. It's got nothing to do with me. Mr. Leonis there even said the scholarships will continue."

Ignis looked him over with something like surprise, and then pride and approval. "Excellent. I have a separate matter to discuss with you."

"If it's about your club, I don't want anything to do with it."

"You may find yourself out of a choice," Ignis said, and there was the smug look that Noctis expected.

"Are you threatening me?"

"Am I? I've said nothing to that effect."

They were going nowhere. Noctis checked for Prompto. Ignis seemed in no hurry.

"You will recall the ulwaat berry tart," Ignis continued after a long, meaningful pause.

"I'm not sure what you--"

Ignis held up a hand. "Ulwaat berries are rather rare, as the berry-bearing shrub is extremely difficult to take care of. In fact, Tenebrae Inc… no, the Nox-Fleurets of Tenebrae Inc are the only ones in the world who have had any reasonable amount of success cultivating them. And even then, they may not bear fruit for years - if ever."

"O...kay?" Noctis was expecting a lot of things. A botanical lecture was not one of them. He hadn't, in fact, known about the rarity of those berries, though that explained why he'd never had those tarts out before, and he'd searched. Nox-Fleurets… he hadn't heard about them for a while now.

"The cooking club was an extremely fortunate beneficiary of one such plant and its bounty." Ignis let the words sink in. "Was, I say, because that plant is withering now."

"What does that have to do with me?" Noctis asked with more confidence than he felt. They were going to pin something on him, he just knew it. But what? And why? They had all the dirt on him already, as far as he could tell.

"The plant is very delicate, you see," Ignis said in his mild, lyrical voice. "The slightest imbalance in its soil could cause catastrophic results. And we found some traces of, ah, how should I put it, pre-chewed salad greens hidden amongst its roots. I trust you won't need us to send the sample to a lab?"

Noctis froze in his spot.

The salad.

The plant.

It was a setup and he'd walked right into it.

"The ulwaat berry plant is quite valuable," Ignis continued. "Priceless, really. Poor Ravus is trying his best to save this one, but I'm afraid it might be beyond him. Indeed, unless we had the famed Oracle of Tenebrae…"

Noctis's mind whirled. Nox-Fleurets. Ravus. Of course they knew, then. That still didn't tell him what they wanted, but he could hazard a guess. "You want me to contact Luna?"

"And a poor scholarship student would have such familiarity with the head of Tenebrae Inc, because?" Ignis arched a brow, and Noctis flushed at the reminder. "In any case, I'm sure there is little you can do that Miss Lunafreya's brother himself cannot convince. No, I want you to pay off this debt with old-fashioned elbow grease."

"Join your club and work for you, you mean?"

"Precisely. Unless, that is, you'd rather call Leonis there to help you, along with a dose of Miss Nox-Fleuret. I'm afraid there is very little a mere cooking club could do against Lucis Corp. Of course, that would blow your cover."

Of course. And, of course, Ignis knew he couldn't do that. Noctis wasn't a coward by any measures, but he also wasn't dumb. "And how long will this club joining last?"

Ignis gave a careless shrug. "For as long as I deem necessary. Shorter, if your service is better."

"Fine."

"Music to my ears."

It was at this moment that Prompto came back, looking between the two of them with confusion evident on his face. "Noct, I'm back. Ohey, Ignis? What are you guys up to?"

"Oh, we were so impressed with the two of you last Friday that I thought I'd try recruiting you again. Noctis has luckily had a change of heart. Would you like to join the cooking club? As incentive, we'll provide you both with free meals."

Prompto's eyes widened comically at the idea of free food. "Oh man! Would I!"

"Good, that settles it. I'm sure your teachers would be happy to hear too. I'll see you after school today."

"Our teachers?" Noctis asked, but Ignis had already slipped away, a silent shadow.

Noctis had never known he would ever wish for a school day to never end, but there they were. The day passed too quickly.

Club activities were important, their homeroom teacher explained a few hours later, in the last period of the day. They promoted a well-rounded growth, and all students were encouraged to join one. Scholarship students in particular were _highly_ encouraged, lest they lose their standings. Everyone had until the end of the week to pick a club to join.

"He knew this."

"Yep, he definitely knew this."

Noctis was seething; Prompto, all but chortling.

Ignis himself was extremely calm when he just happened to run into the two after school; in case they lost their way, he explained.

"Of course I knew," he said, when Noctis threw the accusation at him. "I was, after all, a first year student myself not so long ago. All the clubs will start recruiting in earnest this week, some rather aggressively. I simply wanted to get a head start."

And so, not three days after his first visit, Noctis found himself in the same damnable room, with the same damnably handsome people. The only difference was, he was now on the other side of the glass.

"Hey, it's yous guys!" Dino, already dressed up, greeted when they stepped in. "Glad you can make it! When Scientia told me you'd be coming, I wasn't sure I believed it."

"Yeah, I didn't either," Noctis muttered under his breath.

"So," Dino continued, "yous guys got any cooking experience?" He seemed unsurprised and unbothered at the blank stares. "Serving experience?" More blank stares. "No? Not a problem! You can start by lending our buddy Ignis here a hand with the vegetables."

Noctis blanched.

"Just chopping them," Ignis smoothly guided him with a hand on his arm through a door, where Noctis did _not_ expect to see a state-of-the-art kitchen. In a classroom!

"And me?" Prompto asked.

"You can set the tables. Ravus will show you how the cutlery should be arranged."

"I will not," said a curt voice from a corner of the room.

Noctis startled, finally noticing the white-haired figure bent over a table who was, in fact, Ravus Nox-Fleuret.

"I am busy," Ravus continued, "trying to salvage my sister's generous gift that Scientia used as his bargaining chip. Ergo, he can babysit the kids you lot so badly wanted to recruit."

Normally, Noctis would bristle at the comment. And he did. Internally. Because he normally did not have to face down Ravus Nox-Fleuret, and indeed tried his best to forget that he would need to do such a thing.

It gave him a modicum of satisfaction to see even Ignis speechless in the face of Ravus's irritation.

The silence lasted until Prompto, oblivious and cheerful, asked, "So… what now?"

What now turned out to be a complete change of plans, which, Noctis had to admit, Ignis executed without any hitches despite the initial surprise. Noctis and Prompto were sent with Dino to get fitted for outfits, and Ignis proceeded to prepare all of the afternoon's ingredients on his own.

"What are these for?" Noctis asked, when Dino shoved a bundle of clothing into his arms.

"Serving uniforms," Dino explained. "Can't have yous guys mingling with the clients in those sweaty things. Now these ain't tailored, but they should be close enough to your sizes."

"Wait, so we're--"

"With Ravus out, we're down a server. I don't expect you rookies to cover as many people as he does, but two of yous might be enough to make up the difference."

"Hey…" Noctis gave a mild protest, while Prompto had a much louder and more cheerful, "We'll knock their socks off!"

Noctis wasn't sure why the term was knocking people's socks off, but whether physically or metaphorically, socks stayed on that day. Things started off well enough. They changed, they went in… and Prompto promptly freaked out.

"Noct!" he hissed, hiding behind Noctis. "There are all these _girls_!"

"Yeah? They were here last time too."

"No but." Prompto made a wild gesture with his hands. Several girls looked up, and he quickly tucked them behind his back. "This time I have to _talk_ to them!"

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to do that."

"I do! But I can't!"

"Riiiiiiiiiight…"

Noctis walked over to the tables, leaving Prompto to his fate. From the corner of his eyes, he saw a group of girls - plus a very tall man - flood in and very nearly sweep the blond off his feet. He headed the other way.

Everything went very well, if Noctis did say so himself.

Unfortunately, Noctis was a terrible judge of whether or not things were going well. It wasn't long before whispers arose behind him, though each table he approached remained conspicuously polite.

"Noctis." A quiet word stopped him as he stepped into the kitchen. Ignis stood leaning against a wall, displaying no signs of having been toiling beside a hot stove aside from an unbuttoned collar and rolled up sleeves. "You realize, I assume, the level of grace and sophistication this cafe's clientele expects."

"Yeah?" Noctis crossed his arms. "Your fault for roping in someone who's not graceful and sophisticated, then."

"Be that as it may, a good entrepreneur puts comfort aside and wears whatever mask they deem necessary. I'm certain you know that much, as I'm certain you'll grow into the role."

"...Yeah. Fine" A reminder of who he was. A reminder of who he'd lost. Noctis had almost managed to put it out of his mind, at least for a few hours.

"You'll need to use those skills soon enough. Learn them well."

"You don't have to tell me that."

"No?" Ignis adjusted his glasses, an odd smile playing at his lips that was half proud and half sardonic, and all enough to make Noctis's heart do flip-flops. "I look forward to your performance, then."

"I won't give you cause to complain."

The conversation stayed in Noctis's head for the remainder of the afternoon, uneasy and puzzling. What - or who - was Ignis finessing all this for? Noctis certainly couldn't see any real benefit to the upperclassman.

He didn't stop wondering until the last customer walked out of the cafe.

"How'd it go?" Noctis asked Prompto as they changed back into their normal clothes.

"Dude! There were so many… they were so pretty…"

"Lemme guess, you didn't talk to a single girl."

"Hey, I talked to one… I think…"

And thus ended their first day as official members of the cooking club. Noctis thought back as he composed his daily report to Specs. Was it better this way? Worse? He was tired and annoyed, but it didn't give him time to dwell on things.

_Hey Specs._

_I joined the cooking club today. You know, the one we ate at on Friday._

_Our teacher said we had to join something, so… may as well._

_They give us free food each time we go, so that's a plus._

_Are you SURE that Ignis guy isn't sketchy though? He keeps trying to sneak me vegetables. Bleh. I bet he knows I don't like them. He knows too much._

_Ravus is at the club too, so maybe that's how. I knew he went to the school, but I never thought I'd run into him._

_We haven't said a word to each other though._

_I hope we never do._


	5. A Dangerous Outing

The media storm kept going.

The police reports came in. Two bodies found, too burnt and waterlogged to identify easily. Dental records matched up with the victims. Noctis heard it from Specs first, and thanked the Astrals that it numbed him enough when the TV stations began to report on it.

And report on it they did, a deluge of interviews with anyone and everyone they deemed to have even the smallest shred of connection to Lucis. In between replays of statements from Clarus and Drautos, new clips popped up, well-wishing from Lunafreya Nox-Fleuret of Tenebrae and… _some_ kind of address from Iedolas Aldercap of Niflheim, at least.

Noctis tried not to jump the first time he'd heard Aldercap's voice utter his name.

_We had been very close to coming up with an agreement with Regis Lucis Caelum. Great, smart man. Such a shame he had to die. It is our sincere hope that his successor, Noctis, carries on his wisdom._

"Something wrong?" Prompto asked, when Noctis did not, in fact, successfully not jump.

"N...o, everything's fine."

The second time, Noctis just felt angry. The third time, he'd managed to put it out of his mind, like everything else.

Friday came. A week without incident, a week _since_ the incident. Life had regained a semblance of normalcy, between classes, club activities, and homework. Noctis learned to pretend a little bit better.

"You ready?" Prompto asked as soon as the bell rang.

"You bet!" Noctis shot him a grin. "You might've escaped an ass-kicking last week, but it's definitely coming."

"Uh-huh, you mean that about yourself, right?"

It was after school, which means they had some cafe serving to do. But it was _Friday_ , which meant it was arcade-and-burgers day. Noctis, for one, knew which one was more important.

Ignis, it looked like, didn't agree.

"And where do our two truant club members think they're going?" Ignis asked, leaning against the school gate, waiting.

Noctis cursed his insight but put on a bravado, chin lifted imperiously. "Arcade. We always go on Fridays."

"Not last Friday."

"So what?" Noctis crossed his arms. A few days ago, he would have been far too scared to talk back to Ignis. But four days had taught him the older student had a soft side, and every reprimand came with a patient guiding hand. "You never said we had to go to the club _every_ day."

"It's not safe."

To Noctis's surprise, Ignis looked as confused as he did at those words.

Ignis coughed and apparently pretended he'd never said it. "Fine. You've worked hard this week, one day wouldn't hurt."

So he said, but Noctis soon began to wonder if Ignis knew something he didn't. Still, one didn't look a gift horse in the mouth, as the saying went, and the long-harboured desire for games won out over the enigmatic retracted warning.

A few steps outside of the school, life took a turn for the strange. And dangerous.

"Woah, watch out!" Prompto grabbed Noctis by his collar as a car zipped by, running a red light and nearly them over.

"The hell was that?" Noctis asked when, a few minutes later, something came zipping past his head. Prompto, eyes wide with shock, recovered a throwing knife.

It wasn't funny the first time, but it became less and less funny as the afternoon wore on. A taut rope nearly tripped tripped Noctis into a puddle of electrified water. Arcade machines tried to fall on top of him out of nowhere. He decided to pass up on his burger because he was almost entirely certain it was poisoned.

"What is _up_ with today?" Noctis demanded on the way home, before getting surrounded by a group of suspicious-looking people dressed in high-tech armor.

"Is it one of those camera TV shows?" Prompto asked. Somehow, Noctis didn't think so, but he appreciated the optimism. "Man, this is some ultra-realistic costume. Oh, just lemme get a picture--"

"Um. Prompto."

The blond poked his head closer. Noctis's fingers twitched.

"Prompt--"

It was only a second early, but Noctis thanked all the gods for that second. He grabbed Prompto's arm and yanked him back as the nearest armored man's axe came crashing down.

"Hey, what was that?"

"Just run!"

They ran.

Now, Prompto was good at running. Noctis, not so much. In the end, it didn't matter, as the armored men surrounded them again, not more than a few steps away. This time, they circled more tightly. Noctis eyed the gaps between them, and couldn't find any.

"Dude, what gives?" Prompto said between gasps. "This is way too dangerous for a show!"

Noctis didn't even have the breath to answer. If he had to guess, these were the same men responsible for his dad's accident. But how did you tell your best friend that he was about to die because of you?

One armored arm raised its axe again. Noctis lifted his arms to block, for all the good that would do.

"Noooooooct!"

The scream shattered his revelry, as well as the axeman's. Both sets of heads turned towards the sound, and Noctis caught a dark blur before a knife came flying out, hitting the armored man squarely in the face. Noctis had only a moment to note it wasn't the same type of knife as earlier.

"Get out of here!"

And another player entered the arena. Tall and muscle-bound, the new arrival punched and shoved the axemen aside like they were paper dolls, until they lay collapsed in a sparking heap.

"Whew, thanks." It took Noctis a good minute to catch his breath, before he looked up at their savior. His eyes widened. Comically, he declared at the same time as Prompto, "Gladio?!"

"Huh?" Noctis blinked. "How do _you_ know him?"

"That's what I wanna know!" Prompto flailed his arms. "He was at the cafe last time at my table. He's like, the biggest star athlete in our school and I saw him in the gym so I asked him to train me sometimes! So how do _you_ know him?"

"He's… uh, a family friend."

Prompto still looked skeptical. "Your family has some weird friends. Are you sure you're not some hotshot in disguise?"

"What? Me? No I… uh." Noctis turned to the new arrival for help, who only raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, Gladio, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? Saving your sorry butts."

Noctis rolled his eyes, but didn't argue, considering it was more or less true. "How'd you even know those weird guys would appear? What _are_ they?"

"No clue. Some overly mysterious masked crusader asked me to keep an eye on you, so I did."

"So that knife was also…"

This time, Gladio shook his head. "Not me. It's been bugging me. Someone managed to tail _me_. Didn't notice until that knife."

"I heard someone call my name." Noctis was sure of that, but what confused him was… "It sounded like Ignis."

Gladio snorted at him in disbelief. "Ignis? Scientia? From the cafe? There's no way chef-boy coulda followed me without being seen. He might make a mean cuppa noodles, but that doesn't mean he's a secret agent."

"Yeah, I guess." Even Noctis had to admit it was impossible. No regular student could be a match for an Amicitia. But then, did regular students typically know everything about everyone? Still, knowledge was one thing. The amount of physical skill the mystery person displayed was another altogether. "Maybe it was Specs."

Something flashed over Gladio's face, confirming Noctis's suspicion. If the mystery person wasn't Specs, at least he was someone Gladio knew - possibly the person who told him to follow them. But if Specs was _right there_ , why all the secrecy?

"If we're all done being sitting ducks here, I'm taking you back to campus." Gladio rolled his shoulder, making Prompto's eyes go wide at the shifting muscles. "And then you kids are gonna train with me until you learn some self-defense - and maybe some common sense."

Several hours and bruises later, Noctis slumped against a tree with a text from Specs.

_Noct, I've heard what happened. Are you unharmed? I apologize for my carelessness. I never thought they'd attack you so close to school._

Noctis gave a small smile that the phone couldn't see. The concern was touching, even if he didn't want to worry his benefactor more than necessary.

_Hey, Specs. I'm all right. Gladio showed up and took down the… whatever those were. Did you send him? What were those things? He's trying to train us now. Can I trust him?_

It didn't take long for the reply to come.

_I'm not certain about the creatures that attacked you. They don't seem to be human, despite appearances. As far as Gladiolus Amicitia goes, your guess is correct. I believe he is loyal and true, and there is no one else in your surroundings strong enough to protect you. However, his family stands to gain the most from your demise, so I advise caution._

Noctis nodded to himself. That matched with what he had gleaned. As Vice President of Lucis Corp, Clarus Amicitia could easily take over the company if Noctis died, though Noctis had trouble thinking of him as anything but his "Uncle Clarus" who gave him cake when he cried. Still, for the time being, he had few other allies. Gladio's presence meant that the Amicitias had been keeping tabs on him the entire time, and they had not betrayed him. Conversely, Gladio had risked his life to save them.

Now, there was just one other mystery to solve, while Specs was generous with his information.

_Yeah, I'll be careful. What about Ignis? He was the one who told you where I was going, wasn't he? Is he also working for you?_

Noctis expected either denial or confirmation. He expected a cheeky, gee, Noct, how did you figure that out? The answer wasn't it.

_Don't get close to him. He would only bring you heartbreak._

Well, it wasn't as if Noctis was planning to get cozy with someone he'd just met a week ago, but that seemed a bit overboard.

_Um. Okay. I wasn't going to. I mean. Uh. Look I was just curious._

Right, that wasn't going well. Noctis was about to tell Specs nevermind when he replied.

_Apologies. It was not my intention to sound so harsh. He and I are in communication. He can be trusted, but take care to keep your distance._

That was the second time in two minutes, and the most insistent Specs had ever been in the years Noctis had known him. If that didn't raise questions, nothing would.

_What do you mean by that, anyway? Is it because of the thing you said before, about how he won't date anyone?_

The reply took far too long for an answer so short.

_Yes. Precisely._

It was a lie and Noctis knew it. But with the finality of the answer, he knew prying would be of no use.

He would find out from the man himself on Monday, he decided, ignoring the voice in his head that snickered at him for _wanting_ the weekend to end, and, particularly, for wanting to see Ignis.


	6. Special Assignment

"Move."

"R...avus! I didn't see you there." Noctis nearly jumped at the word, so intently he was staring at the plant and trying to remember some proverb about the best laid plans and how they didn't work out.

Because they didn't.

It had been a week since Noctis decided that he would go find Ignis Scientia, corner him, and get some answers out of him.

What he learned during that week was: that Ignis's vision was not at all bad, and he wore glasses just to make it _even better_ ; that Ignis took his coffee black; that Ignis could virtually recreate any meal from a single taste.

(He'd also learned that Dino was a well-regarded writer, and Gladio frequently pushed for Cup Noodles to be on the Meteor Munchies menu. One of these was a surprise, the other not so much.)

What he did _not_ learn was: what Ignis's relation to Specs, and, by extension, to Noctis, was.

But this day was the day! Or at least, this would have been the day had Ignis been there. As it stood, there was no Ignis Scientia in sight. In fact, there was no one in sight aside from, apparently, Ravus Nox-Fleuret, who Noctis could indubitably have done without.

"Move," was all Ravus said, again.

Noctis sighed and moved to another table, then proceeded to return to staring.

"What." It came a minute later. It wasn't so much a question as a spout of venom, spat out like dragonfire.

Noctis shrugged. "You know where everyone is?"

"No."

This conversation was going real well. It made him almost miss Dino's false cheerfulness and Ignis's loaded comments.

Lacking anything to do, Noctis chose to sit and watch Ravus tending the plant.

"You're distracting me."

"I'm not doing anything."

"Go away."

"There's nowhere to go." Noctis rolled his eyes. "Where's Ignis, anyway?"

"It's always Ignis, Ignis, Ignis." Ravus lifted his head only long enough to sneer. "Tell me, Caelum, are you that incapable of doing anything for yourself, or do you simply enjoy hiding behind his apron?"

"I'm not hiding."

"Aren't you?" Another sneer. "What do you call this if not hiding, playing waiter here while your company could be burning to the ground? You're even more of a coward than your father was."

Noctis stood, hands fisted at his side. "My father was not a coward!"

"How naive." Ravus snorted. "You don't even know, do you?"

"That's enough."

Noctis had opened his mouth, but the command came from behind him. He turned to see Ignis stalking in, silent and graceful.

"Scientia! You have no right to order me around."

Ignis stared him down, unflinching. "It's not an order. Merely a… suggestion. I trust you remember our agreement?"

"Tch."

Ravus stormed out without another word, then returned to grab the plant, gently cradling it in an act that contrasted his anger.

"By the way, Ravus." Ignis's voice was mild, but there was a warning edge behind them. "If you're that easily distracted, perhaps you should consider a different career choice. It wouldn't do for one of Tenebrae's celebrated doctors to lose focus in the middle of an operation, would it?"

If Ignis's voice was sharp, the glare Ravus threw on his way out could split hairs.

Silence followed in the wake of Ravus's departure, until Ignis cleared his throat. "I see you've had the dubious pleasure of entertaining Ravus. Apologies, the president asked me to pick up supplies."

"S'not your fault he's a jerk." Noctis shrugged and attempted a smile. "Thanks for telling him off."

"Not at all. It is not his place to endanger your identity or to speak ill of your father." When Noctis didn't respond, Ignis continued. "Hm, just the two of us today?"

"Looks like it. Prompto's sick."

There was a lull in the conversation as Ignis started on dinner preparations, a companionable ambiance filled with the tinkering of silverware and thudding of knives.

Noctis fiddled with his fingers, only half-focused on his task. This was the chance he was waiting for, but now that Ignis was here, and they were alone, he wasn't sure where to start. Eventually, he went with, "So you uh. Heard all that?"

"Indeed. I hadn't meant to intrude."

"No, it's fine. I. Um." And there was his foot-in-mouth syndrome again, except this time he didn't have the time to think up everything and type it.

Noctis took a deep breath. And another. He'd waited so long to ask this, but now all he felt was awkward. Still, Ignis was there holding his gaze, expectant and waiting, his half-chopped ingredients forgotten.

"Last Friday," Noctis finally began, slowly, "Prompto and I were attacked after school. Well, _I_ was; Prompto was probably just caught up in it." There was no interruption, nor did any surprise register on Ignis's face. "Gladio saved us. But he got the tip from Specs. And Specs… got it from you. So this whole time. This whole time, you've been working for him. And this cooking club thing was a setup."

If Noctis was the kind of person to revel in revenge, he would have relished the speechless shock that Ignis found himself in. As it was, he wasn't, but the non-answer answered enough.

"Indeed." Ignis seemed to have weighed his options and come to the same conclusion. "I hadn't intended for you to find out, though I suppose the cat's out of the bag now. My apologies for deceiving you. I simply needed an easy way to keep an eye on you."

Noctis nodded, mostly to himself. The picture was becoming clearer, but there was nothing he didn't already knew. He was still missing most of the pieces. "But see. I didn't know Gladio was here, but I knew him. So what I want to know is, who _are_ you, Ignis? Even if I've never met you before, I should have seen your name somewhere."

"Oh, I'm no one you should concern yourself with." Ignis's smiles were rarely not a calculated thing, Noctis had noticed some time ago, to charm and to disarm, a perfectly welcoming expression on a perfectly beautiful face. This smile was not one such. It flickered by almost too quickly to catch, a sardonic sadness at odds with his usual facade. "Surely you've been warned about that."

"Oh, come on, don't give me that crap." Noctis made a sound of frustration. Really? Was this _really_ going to be the wall he kept hitting? "You work for Specs, so you're an ally. What could possibly be so awful that everyone's falling over themselves to keep quiet?"

"Well, keeping quiet is a bit drastic." Ignis smiled, his flawless facade returning. "It's simply something you don't need to know."

"I'll be the judge of that."

There was something spectacularly efficient about the way Ignis worked. It was hard to notice that he worked at all, until suddenly, everything was done.

The day's cafe preparation was such an instance. It was five minutes before Meteor Munchies opened to the students, and by the time Noctis glanced at the clock, he realized that Ignis had finished everything while he was dragging his feet and asking questions.

When Ignis was satisfied with the readiness of the cafe, he finally spoke. "Regardless of my history, your debt is very much real, I'm afraid. These plants are, in fact, very rare and expensive, and Ravus would be _most_ wroth if you didn't pay for them one way or another."

"Yeah, yeah."

"However," Ignis said as he handed Noctis a uniform, "I can make you a deal. A trial, rather, if you would. In two weeks, we will host a celebration for the Lunar Festival. I expect you and Prompto to attend and represent the club as full-fledged members. If your level of service there satisfies me, I will answer your questions."

It was too convenient.

It was definitely suspicious.

Curiosity won over common sense; Noctis took the bait.

"Easy." He hoped his voice sounded sounded more confident than he felt. "You got yourself a deal."

"Very good." A smirk played at Ignis's lips. "You can start practicing today with your special assignment."

Noctis stopped in his tracks. "Special… assignment."

"Oh, nothing terrible. We just have a rather impressive guest today who'd requested you. Now, this young lady is from a _very_ wealthy and _very_ influential family."

"Meaning?"

"If you can convince her to be a regular client, the president is entirely happy to cut your debt by a third. Keep it up, and it'll disappear in no time."

It was like a beacon of hope, a ray of light from the heavens. It wouldn't bring his dad back or keep him safe, but at least it meant his first act as head of Lucis Corp wouldn't be to throw away an insurmountable amount of gil.

Besides, how hard could talking to a client really be? Sure, he'd messed up a few times and been way too nervous. But he'd had practice by now! Gotten it all out of his system! Now, all he'd have to do was channel some of that Lucis Caelum charisma he'd been raised with.

Noctis expected someone. A prissy princess, a wealthy heiress.

There was only one person sitting in the "cafe", her head whipping up as they entered.

"Noooooooct!" said the human cannonball barreling into him. "I was so worried when Gladdy said you'd been attacked. Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did Gladdy protect you properly?"

Noctis shot Ignis a confused look, to which he received only a smug smile as reply, before sorting through the questions. "Hi, Iris. I'm okay. I'm not hurt. Gladio saved me and my friend." And then a question of his own. "What are you doing here, anyway? You're still in middle school, how'd you get in?"

"What do you mean? Gladdy told me you'd be at this cooking club so I came to see you! People let me in all the time. They probably just think I'm here to find Gladdy."

Which… didn't really answer all of Noctis's questions, but that seemed par for the course for that day. Still, he wasn't going to complain about a childhood friend showing back up and making his life easier in the process. Iris was the perfect patron, laughing at his terrible attempts at jokes, complimenting the food, even engaging the other students when they showed up.

And at the end of her meal, Iris beamed up at him with a, "Thanks, Noct! I'll come visit again soon!"

Noctis could feel himself grinning back even after Iris was out of sight.

He was still smiling when Ignis came up beside him, though it ruined his attempts at scowling. "You knew it was her. Of course."

"Of course."

The lack of pretense threw Noctis off, and he gaped a moment before recovering. "Yeah? What else do you know?"

In response, Ignis took a step closer and leaned down.

Noctis fought the blush climbing its way up his neck. "Hey, what are you…"

"You'll find out that and more at the Lunar Festival," Ignis said in a murmur so soft it took a moment to interpret the words, "if you meet my expectations."

And then he was gone, pulling away to wrap up the day; and Noctis, face red and heart hammering, swore revenge.


	7. Upping the Ante

The Lunar Festival could not come soon enough. Two weeks was a long time to keep a secret, and Noctis was practically buzzing with excitement. On the one hand, he was completely certain of his victory, and on the other, his frayed nerves remained a constant reminder that if he were to lose, he may never again have the chance to know. He didn't give himself a moment to pause and wonder _why_ he desperately needed to know about Ignis, afraid, somewhere deep down, of the answer he would find.

Prompto was the first to notice, to no one's surprise.

"Soooooo, Noct," the blond asked with a conspicuous wink and nudge, "got a hot date lined up?"

Also to no one's surprise was Prompto's penchant for guessing wrong.

Noctis didn't even grace him with an answer, figuring Prompto wouldn't believe him if he said no, anyway. Telling him anything more would be getting into some dangerous territory; it wouldn't take too much to put two and two together to figure out Noctis's real identity with the news about his father still fresh on everyone's lips, and Prompto was no idiot.

Of course, the downside to not telling him was being the recipient of a near-constant stream of guesses.

"Is it Cindy?" Prompto asked on Monday, a loud whisper before class that everyone could hear. "Please tell me it's not Cindy."

"Tell you what's not me?" asked the girl in question.

"Cindy!" Prompto turned bright tomato red. "Ummm, nothing! Nothing at all!"

"You're not dating me," Noctis supplied when she looked at him.

"Nope," Cindy confirmed. "No offense, Noct. We've just never really spoken much, you know?"

Noctis hoped, vainly, that that would be the end of it.

"Is it her?" Prompto asked, swooping in from nowhere, as a girl waved on her way out of Meteor Munchies.

"Coctura?" Noctis couldn't hide his incredulity. "She's like two years older than us. _And_ ," he added, "probably dating the prez."

That shut Prompto up, but Noctis's victory was short-lived, as girls from the next table clustered over. The blond was only too happy to regale them with the story of how his best bud of years and years forgot their brotherly bonds and _betrayed_ him by getting a secret girlfriend.

It didn't help that Ignis, who knew exactly what was going on, joined in to ask about this mystery girl.

Wednesday was no better. Prompto, determined young man that he was, brought a _list_ , and spent the entirety of their lunch period going down it. Noctis couldn't say for sure if it was their entire school registry's female population, but it was definitely long enough to be.

Prompto didn't get his answer that day, and Noctis didn't get to eat lunch. Still, if that would finally put the matter to rest, Noctis was willing - just barely - to be hungry for half a day.

" _No_ ," Noctis said preemptively, when Iris greeted him on Thursday. "She's Gladio's sister. And she's in middle school."

Of course, that didn't stop Prompto from trying another angle.

"Soooooo, Iris," Prompto asked when Noctis left to get her order. "I've heard you're an old friend of Noct's, right? Has Noct said anything about a girl lately? Maaaaaybe one he's dating or something like that?"

"What?" Iris stared up, eyes wide and mouth open. "Noct is dating someone? That can't be!"

"Yeah, that can't be," Noctis parroted as he returned. "Now, Prompto, if you could stop disturbing my client, the lovely Miss Iris Amicitia?"

"Are you, though?" Iris whispered once the blond was out of earshot. "I can't believe you didn't tell me!"

"I'm not!" Noctis whispered back, but the answering look on Iris's face said she didn't believe him.

Noctis went through Friday in dread, waiting, just _waiting,_ for Prompto to pounce with another wild guess.

To his surprise, the morning remained blissfully quiet, lunch passed without event, and the afternoon sailed by without a hitch. Noctis was almost willing to believe that maybe finally Prompto had given up, as unlikely as that was.

"Yo!" Gladio greeted after school, as soon as they'd left their last class. "You're coming with me for training today. I already talked to Ignis."

Noctis gave him a blank stare. "I'm hungry."

"Got you covered." Gladio smirked as if he expected it, and dangled a small bag in front of Noctis for a second. "Your little cooking mentor was so worried he gave me this to feed you with. That guy's gonna grow up to be a helicopter parent, I swear."

Training, similarly, happened without incident. Prompto looked like he wanted to say something a few times, but Noctis beat him to the punch - quite literally. They couldn't talk while they sparred, and Noctis was determined to keep it that way.

"Alright, break time," came Gladio's announcement. He shot a quizzical look over at Noctis. "Not gonna complain about how hard you're training today, but what's _up_ with that?"

"Oh, oh!" Prompto jumped up, dancing out of reach. With how exhausted he was, Noctis could only watch in defeat as the cycle repeated. "I know! Noct was trying to keep me from asking you about his secret girlfriend!"

"His what now?" Gladio arched an eyebrow. "You think this shrimp can get a girl? _And_ keep it a secret? Anyway, if you have enough energy to gossip, you can get back to training."

And that, Noctis thought, was finally that. He was more than a little insulted, but at this point, he'd take anything that could get Prompto off his back.

"I've got it!" Prompto announced at the next break, around a mouthful of burger.

There was a glow in his eyes that Noctis really did not like.

"Shut up and eat your food."

"I've been going about it the wrong way," Prompto continued after swallowing, as if there were no interruptions. "No wonder I couldn't figure it out. You're _not_ dating a girl."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," Noctis quipped, even though he knew that wasn't the end of it.

"Right!" Prompto agreed much too readily. "The truth is." He jabbed a finger at Noctis. "The truth is, you're dating a guy!"

Noctis nearly choked.

"I'm right, aren't I?" Prompto asked triumphantly. "You can admit it, Noct, I won't judge."

Gladio plopped down beside the two. "Don't know many guys that'd date this one either. Who do you figure?"

"Dunno." Prompto took another bite of his burger before his face lit up like someone who'd just discovered the secret to life, the universe, and everything. "Wait. It's Ignis isn't it? It's gotta be!"

Noctis groaned and buried his face in his hands. His very red, very burning face.

"Well, colour me impressed." Gladio looked at him appraisingly. "Ignis Scientia, eh? Didn't know you had it in you. Good for him too, guy needs to loosen up a bit."

"That's not it," Noctis insisted to deaf ears.

"You started acting weird the day I got sick." Prompto spoke with _revelation_. "You were all alone with him that day and everything! I can't believe I didn't figure this out earlier."

"Cause it's not true!"

"Oh, come on, Noct, it's really obvious. You guys spend so much time together. He even made you dinner today!"

"Made _us_ dinner," Noctis corrected. "Look, I don't spend any more time with him than you do."

"Uh, yeah you do. Even some of the girls at the cafe started complaining that you two pay more attention to each other than to them." Prompto had a faraway look in his eyes. "Well, kinda complaining. They were all giggly about it. Aw man, wait until I tell them!"

"No, don't tell them anything!" Noctis continued struggling up the hopeless slope, grasping at every straw he could find. "Listen, I'm not dating Ignis. Haven't you heard about how he doesn't date anyone? Like, ever?"

"I do remember something like that," Gladio said, much to Noctis's relief and Prompto's disappointment. Then, he grinned. "Well, go get 'em, lover boy. First time for everything."

"Yeah! We'll be rooting for you!"

He was never going to hear the end of it now.

Never.

Not for the rest of the training session, where Gladio made as many verbal jabs at him as physical.

Not back to their dorm, where Prompto alternated between giggling like an excited child and reassuring Noctis that he would never think less of him for it, in fact he was very impressed, and if _he_ could date someone like Ignis Scientia, he certainly would, but he'd never have the guts to ask, he couldn't believe that Noctis actually went and did it, and--

Noctis went into his room and shut the door. He could still hear muffled rambling from the other side, despite calling out, "Good night, Prompto."

It was truly the darkest timeline, Noctis thought as he lay in bed, too early to actually sleep. He got himself into this mess, and there was no one to help him out of it. He couldn't even ask Specs for advice, not when he was technically going behind the man's back against his wishes.

Noctis fell asleep still holding his phone.

The next day was no better.

Before Noctis woke, Prompto was up and presumably already back from his customary morning run.

"Noct!" Prompto jumped up as soon as his door cracked open. "I've been waiting for you! Guess what?"

"What?" Noctis asked cautiously, remembering all too clearly the last time the blond had news in the morning.

Prompto waited until he sat down, then scooted over next to him. "Well," he said in a low, conspiratorial tone. "I ran into Ignis this morning, and he asked about you! Oh, don't worry, I didn't tell him about your crush or anything. Anyway, he gave me croissants again! See, he totally likes you back, you should just tell him."

"There's nothing to tell," Noctis mumbled, feeling numb. It was the same as last time, Prompto's exuberance, Ignis's croissants… He checked his phone discreetly, but there were no messages from Specs. Noctis dared to breathe again.

"Food," Prompto declared, "is the way to a man's heart. And if _I_ know it, then Ignis _must_ know, so all these meals he's making you…"

"Us," Noctis corrected, reminiscent of the previous day. "Give it up, Prompto. He's making _us_ food."

"Maybe he likes both of us?"

Noctis sighed. It was going to be a long day. His only consolation was that the Lunar Festival was less than a week away, now, and then…

What exactly? He'd tell Prompto the truth? Stop obsessing over Ignis, not that he'd ever admit to such a thing? Maybe Ignis would have a dark and terrible secret and Noctis _could_ just leave him alone after finding out.

For the time being, however, Ignis popped up everywhere in his thoughts and in his life.

"I'll get it!" Prompto said, when they heard a knock on (thankfully Ignis-free) Sunday.

Noctis paused their game. They weren't expecting anyone, haven't ordered any food. A voice in his head took a guess at their visitor's identity and he very firmly pushed it away.

"Hello, Prompto," said a smooth and cultured voice that Noctis was getting very good at recognizing.

"Oh, hey, Ignis," Prompto answered slowly and loudly. Noctis was sure the blond was throwing looks over his shoulder at him, though he refused to look. "What a coincidence! Noct and I were just talking about you!"

"Really? What about?"

"Oh, you know, this and that." Prompto's voice lowered, and Noctis found himself leaning closer to hear. "So Noct won't tell me, but is there a little… you know… between you two?"

" _Pr_ _ompto!_ " Noctis practically leapt from his spot on the couch and grabbed the blond. "Sorry, Ignis, he had this idea in his head and I don't know where he got it but…"

"It's quite all right." Ignis didn't look annoyed or upset. If anything, he was trying very hard to hide his amusement. "Why don't I clear it up for poor Prompto here?"

For someone one wrong sentence away from being strangled, Prompto was absolutely jubilant. "Uh-huh?"

"There's nothing going on!" Noctis insisted for the umpteenth time.

"That's right," Ignis said, nodding patiently. And then, Noctis was sure, in order to have fun at his expense, Ignis added, "Noctis and I simply have a deal. If he's particularly good during our Lunar Festival celebration, I'll… acquiesce to some of his demands."

Of course that was the way he worded it.

Prompto looked between the two with eyes like saucers, and Noctis prayed to the Astrals to open up the earth and swallow him whole.

"Speaking of the Lunar Festival," Ignis continued, as casually as if he did not just sign Noctis's death warrant, "I came here to bring you your outfits. Please check the fit and let me know of adjustments needed before Wednesday. Good day, Prompto. Good day… Noctis."

"Wow." Prompto gave a low whistle once Ignis left. "That was way better than I even thought!"

Noctis sighed and gave up. Let Prompto think what he wanted, he supposed. It would be over and done with soon.

The next day, there was blessed peace and quiet, finally. Noctis began to wonder if he shouldn't have just told Prompto some lie a week ago to begin with.

The day after that, Noctis discovered the answer to his question, as classmates and customers he'd barely known came up to congratulate him.

And of _course_ the news had spread like wildfire, despite Prompto insisting that it wasn't him, he didn't tell anyone, _really_ , okay maybe just a few people, but it wasn't that many, all this must have been from Gladio--

Gladio simply raised an eyebrow and gave Noctis a _look,_ and asked if he seemed like the kind of person who'd care about Noctis's love life.

By the time the Lunar Festival rolled around on Friday, just about everyone in the school assumed there was some kind of dare between Noctis and Ignis involving a date.

It wasn't so much a problem, per se, until a furious Ravus pulled Noctis aside before the event.

"Caelum… you dare betray my sister like this?"

Noctis should be complaining about the use of his name, or the indiscretion surrounding the mention of Ravus's sister, but he was too confused to answer with anything more than a garbled, "I don't… what are you…"

"Don't play games with me!" This time, Ravus was loud enough that several nearby students glanced over. To his credit, he lowered his voice to a furious hiss. "You and Scientia! This… date!"

Noctis groaned inwardly. It was unthinkable that Ravus wouldn't have heard about the supposed bet and supposed date, but there was a part of him that had been hoping precisely because of the situation now. "It's not _like_ that."

"Of course not." Ravus rolled his eyes, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Every single person is just somehow misunderstanding the situation."

"Yes!"

"...whatever." Noctis wasn't sure if it was the exasperation in his declaration that did it, but to his surprise, Ravus turned away. "Like that… boy… can compete with my sister. But I swear on the Nox-Fleuret name, if this ever happens again, I will have your head."

Ravus stalked away, leaving Noctis in more than a little confusion. Now he just had one person to clear everything up with.

Ignis wasn't difficult to find, being as popular as he was. That, and every girl Noctis came across looked pointedly between him and where he assumed the upperclassman to be.

"Hey, Ignis, can I talk to you for a sec?" Noctis shuffled his feet. He knew he was flushing, and it looked incriminating. "Privately?"

"Certainly." Ignis raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't press. A wave of giggling swept through the girls milling around him. "Excuse me, ladies."

"Everyone thinks we're dating," Noctis blurted out as soon as they were out of earshot. Impossibly, he could feel his face getting hotter, and feared to know what he looked like now.

Ignis regarded him for a moment, far too calm and maybe a bit too amused. "Yes, I'm aware."

"I… you…" Noctis crossed his arms and absolutely did not pout or sulk or do anysuch childish thing. "It's your fault."

"Now, now, Noctis, be reasonable. How is it my fault?"

"You told Prompto--"

"The truth, no?" One day, Noctis was going to wipe the smug smile off of his face. Today didn't look to be that day. "Not a single word I said was a lie. I can hardly be held accountable for Mr. Argentum's rather vivid imagination."

"Then make it all true." That was not what Noctis planned to have leave his mouth, but at Ignis's expression, he had to continue. "We're having a bet and you're going on a date with me."

"That is out of the question. I make it my policy never to date anyone."

"What, afraid you'll lose?"

Ignis fixed Noctis with a long stare that made him want to squirm. He resisted, just barely. There was something dark and intense in the upperclassman's gaze, a wistful sadness that lingered like a stormcloud.

"The determining factor will be client vote." After a long pause, Ignis's voice was professional and smooth when he spoke. "If I win, you will eat a bowl of salad, every last bite."

"All of it? No way!"

Ignis asked, in a mimicry of Noctis's earlier challenge, "What, afraid you'll lose?"

Noctis huffed. "I'll make you eat those words."

"Oh?" Ignis smirked. "I daresay the only one eating will be you."

The stakes were high and stacked against Noctis. There was only one thing to do now: pray for a miracle.


	8. Lunar Festival

The cooking club's Lunar Festival event whirled through in a flurry of silk and candlelight. Noctis talked to more girls than he could remember, and carried platters of food and drinks until his arms were sore - all, of course, with a smile plastered on his face. (It was probably stuck that way now, Prompto joked in passing.)

It wasn't long before Dino caught wind of the bet; the president's voice ran out over the cafe, asking their "lovely attendees" to vote for their favourite host before the end of the night. Noctis groaned when Dino started to wax poetic about him being a dark horse challenger. All he knew was that he was going to be one unhappy camper if all this effort netted him a salad at the end.

"Hey there, Noct!" A drawl caught his attention. "Prompto told me you needed help. What's gotten you so stressed?"

"Cindy!" Noctis spun towards her, permanent smile still etched on his face. "Stressed? Me? Nooooo, I'm perfectly fine." And he would be, if he weren't so completely sure that Ignis was in the lead. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"This isn't really my scene, but a lot of my friends are here, so here I am." Cindy peered closer at him. "Are you sure there's nothing bugging you?"

Well. He did ask for a miracle. And when the Astrals handed out gifts like that, it didn't do to refuse them.

Noctis lowered his voice. "So, you know that bet going on?"

"Uh-huh, between you and Ignis?"

And a few minutes later, Cindy skipped off with the promise to ask her friends for help, parting with, "And I'm sure Holly and her girls wouldn't mind lending you a hand either."

Unexpectedly, Cindy's assistance spread more than Noctis could even have hoped. Blushing, giggling classmates he barely knew came up to tell them he had their support, as well as…

"Yo," said someone who was most decidedly neither blushing nor giggling. As always Gladiolus Amicitia stood head and shoulders over the top of the crowd and wore an open shirt that would have looked ridiculous on anyone else. "Heard from some of the ladies that you needed some help tipping the scales. So the bet with Ignis is actually real?"

"Yeah, it's real." Well, it was as of that evening at least, but Gladio didn't need to hear that.

"Damn, thought you guys were joking." Gladio looked at him with - dared he believe it? - respect in his eyes. "All right, I've got your back. Watch and learn!"

Noctis wasn't sure what he expected when Gladio sauntered off with a wink, but it wasn't this: Gladio simply inserting himself between Ignis and the girl he was serving, leading her away at the other man's protests.

"Gladio, you can't simply…"

"C'mon, lighten up. You know I'll treat her well."

Noctis hid a chuckle at Ignis's indignation. "You're not even a part of the club!"

"Aw, Iggy, is that what you're worried about?" Gladio gave the girl's shoulders a squeeze, then called to the front of the room. "Hey, Prez, is the club accepting new members? I was so impressed by the festival, I just had to join."

At Dino's thumbs up, Gladio grinned and Ignis buried his face in his hand.

As the newly-inducted cooking club member walked by, Noctis heard him murmur to the girl, "Hey, Beautiful, I want you to do me a favour. If you like my services, I want you and all your friends to vote for Noctis. Yeah, I know he's a shrimp, but--"

Noctis huffed. Gladio had meant for him to hear that, he was sure, but. Well. The threat of _salad_ looming over him was enough to make him swallow his pride and accept the help, backhanded as it were.

It was a slaughter from there on. The news spread through the partygoers like a ripple, not least of all thanks to the efforts of Prompto, who declared himself Noctis's wingman, and Gladio, who joked that he could be Ignis's then.

At the end of the night, Noctis won by a landslide, and he couldn't decide whether to feel smug or guilty. Probably a little bit of both.

Ignis stared at the results in disbelief, and suddenly both smugness and guilt turned to fear as Noctis realized he was going to get it now. This was it. His life was going to end, and not even Specs would save him.

As Noctis debated between apologizing to Ignis or running for his life, the older teen approached him.

"Look I'm sorr--"

"Well played, Noct."

"Huh?" When Noctis looked up, he was met not with anger but amusement.

"Ah, apologies, I meant Noctis." Ignis flashed him an easy smile. "Finding allies in times of stress to overcome great odds and achieve your goal: you have exceeded my every expectation."

"Um, yeah," Noctis said, as if it was totally intentional. He tried a return smile, hoping it didn't look strained. "And it's fine to call me Noct, you know. We're dating now after all."

"One date," Ignis reminded him, face an unreadable mask. Was he upset? Happy? Hell if Noctis could tell. "More than that, and your… friend… may be having words with me. After all, don't you have other obligations?"

"...Yeah." It was like a bucket of icy cold water dumped over his head. Noctis sighed; he'd only meant it in jest, but Ignis was right. "Look, I'll talk to him."

"It's late," was Ignis's reply, not unkindly. "You worked hard this evening. Why don't you head back with Prompto and get some rest? I'll call you Sunday morning to arrange. And I'm quite certain--" He grabbed Gladio's arm as he headed for the door. "--our new recruit would be more than happy to assist with the cleaning up."

Sunday. So close and so far away. Noctis was more nervous now than before the Lunar Festival. What was he doing, really? Why was he so obsessed with Ignis?

And what was he going to say to Specs?

"...gotta get you dressed up, too." Prompto chattered away on the walk to their room. "You won't forget your poor, single best friend when you're off going on dates with Mr. Gorgeous there, right, Noct? You'll still tell him to make me food, right? And you'll help me find someone too, right? ...Right?"

"Huh? Yeah, of course."

The look of incredulity Prompto shot him nearly made him stumble. "Okay, Noct, you promised!"

"Wait, what did I promise?"

As Prompto burst into laughter, Noctis felt the tension drain away. Surely, everything would be fine. He'd come clean to Specs, go on his one date with Ignis, and then move on with his life. Ignis was right, too; he had other obligations to worry about: his father's death, his company, the possible traitors… and Luna.

His life was set in stone already, and someday, when he was grown, this would all be nothing but a fond memory.

_Hey Specs._

Noctis was more relaxed than he'd been in days, finally ready to get things off his chest.

_So uh. You probably know about it already._

Well, to be fair, he'd be more surprised than not if Specs _didn't_ already know about, well, everything.

_Perhaps,_ came the answer while Noctis sat there biting his lip. _However, I would like to hear it from you. I am not angry; I merely want to know the whole story._

Noctis gave a small smile. _Thanks._

It took a while longer to type: _So I know you told me not to get involved with Ignis, but I kinda ended up asking him on a date. I wasn't trying to go against you or anything, I just._ Just what? Got curious? Felt drawn to him? None of them felt like the right response. _Wanted to ask him some things, and then stuff happened, and then that._

Was that good? Probably not, but he didn't really know how to explain it better.

The reply came, swift and gentle.

_It's all right, Noct. Your wishes are far more important. My advice was in concern for your safety only. All I ask is that you keep that in mind - stay safe, and remain cautious of everyone, even my agents._

Noctis let out a long breath. What did he do to deserve such a wonderful benefactor? He'd asked himself many times, and never came up with an answer.

_I will. I promise. Thanks, Specs._

That night, Noctis dreamed of a time far away, when he was young and his father was still alive. He ran through a sunny field of flowers, hand in hand with a boy a few years older than him. Noctis couldn't see his face clearly, only the light glinting off of his spectacles, but his voice rang with familiarity, wrapped around him like a favourite blanket, filled with the warmth of home.

When Noctis woke up, he could remember only fragments. They'd made a solemn promise - but of what? It was important, _so_ important, but it stayed hidden, just out of reach around the corner.

There was a name on his lips, whispered into the silence of his room before the vestiges of dreams washed away.


	9. Choco-Mogland

It took an earth-shattering miracle to get Noctis up early.

Usually, the earth-shattering miracle involved the threat of being late for classes and losing his scholarship.

On this day, Noctis strode into the living room at a few minutes past 9, shocking all the inhabitants therein. (All the inhabitants consisted entirely of one Prompto Argentum, who gaped, eyes wide and mouth open.)

"Morning," Noctis said, as casually as if he did _not_ just cause the foundations of the world to shake. Not only was he awake, he was fully dressed, and in something _nice_. Prompto didn't even know his roommate owned dress shirts and fancy slacks.

"Mor...ning?" Prompto asked, because he wasn't really sure if it was actually morning. Maybe he'd fallen back asleep. "You're up early."

Noctis grinned, clearly pleased with himself, and fixed himself a breakfast of milk and cereal, and did not answer.

It wasn't until the knock on the door that Noctis's mysterious smiles made sense.

"Good morning, Noct," Ignis greeted, dressed in a casual suit that complimented Noctis's attire. "And good morning, Prompto." After a small bow, he extended a hand towards Noctis. "Ready to go?"

"You bet!"

Noctis left, ignoring Prompto's loud whispers of, "Noct, you better tell me everything!"

"Everything" started with a car ride driven by someone Noctis was almost certain worked for his company's security detail.

At his questioning look, Ignis shook his head. "Don't worry, I've better sense than to take someone on a date to an office. We're going somewhere I believe you'd enjoy."

The ride was longer than Noctis expected, but the result was worth it, as he stepped out into…

"Choco-Mogland?" Noctis gasped out, unable to hide his surprise. He wouldn't even have expected Ignis to be the kind of person who knew what Choco-Mogland _was,_ if Ignis didn't seem to know literally everything.

"I… hope you'll like it," Ignis said, sounding unsure for the first time since Noctis had met him. "I've heard that chocobos, moogles, and fishing number amongst your favourite things. This venue seemed ideal, despite being slated towards a younger audience."

"It's perfect!" Noctis flashed him a smile that he hoped was reassuring and not maniacal. Chocobos! Moogles! Fishing! Rides! Games! He barely knew where to start.

(That was a lie. Noctis started with fishing.)

"So," Noctis said hesitantly after his third fish, which may or may not have been the same fish as his first and second. "You mind telling me what everything was about?"

"Everything?"

"You know." Noctis shrugged, being careful not to jostle his fishing rod. "Your connection to Lucis. And Specs."

"I suppose I did agree to answer your questions." There was a pause that stretched into a long silence, broken only by the sound of lapping waves and distant shouts.

"You don't have to if--"

"It's all right, Noct. Just trying to think of where to start." Ignis settled into a seat on a stack of boxes. "I am a part of a special division in the company, I suppose is one way to put it. Very few people know that I work for Lucis, so I can move more freely without observation."

"Huh. I didn't know there was something like that."

"I'm sure your father or Specs would have mentioned it to you in due time."

There came a tug on the line. Noctis mulled over Ignis's words as he reeled in the next fish. "So how much do you know about Specs?"

"More than you, I would assume," Ignis answered with an arched brow. "However, on that subject, there's only so much I can tell you. You'll have to get the rest from the man himself."

Another fish; Ignis waited until Noctis was done, then continued. "I answer to Specs, as you know. He is in charge of the intelligence division of Lucis, amongst other things. I give reports at scheduled intervals, and receive long-term, infrequent instructions to limit communication and thus, suspicion. I was tasked with making sure no harm befell you."

It made sense… and didn't. Noctis frowned, a nagging thought just on the edge of consciousness. It would explain how Specs knew everything about him, and how Ignis knew so much. But there was a sense of familiarity that seemed too deep to explain.

Before Noctis could open his mouth to ask, the rod jerked, nearly jumping out of his grasp. Ignis was beside him in a second, a steadying hand on his arm.

"Turn the rod towards the fish!"

"You think I don't know that?"

With some teamwork and elbow grease, the duo managed to bring up the biggest fish Noctis had ever seen outside of an aquarium.

"What a lunker!" Noctis whistled in admiration, turning to grin at Ignis, conversation forgotten - or at least on hold - in the excitement of the moment. "Hey, Ignis, can you get a pic for me?"

A non-small amount of photos and fussing later, a satisfied Noctis put away his fishing rod and released the giant fish, who was more than happy to dive out of human reach.

Ignis smiled as the younger teen washed his hands at a nearby station. "No more?"

"Nah, nothing can top that one. I was thinking maybe some rides now? If you want, I mean."

"Whatever you'd like."

"Hey…" Noctis stopped, both hands on his hips. "You're on this date too, you know? We should both enjoy it."

There was a beat before the words came out, as if Ignis couldn't decide whether to say them. "I will enjoy any time spent with you."

"Wha…" Noctis flushed, turning away with a laugh. "You… don't mean that, how can you even say something that sappy with a straight face?"

"Perhaps it's simply the truth." This time, the corner of Ignis's lips lifted in a teasing smirk. "We _are_ on a date, Noct."

The blush only deepened. Noctis desperately reminded himself not to believe it.

"Right. So uh. Rides."

Choco-Mogland didn't get its reputation for nothing. Not two minutes from the fishing pond began the midway, with games and snack stands galore, and behind them, the rides, towering above like mountains of flashing lights reaching for the sky.

Noctis picked the tallest roller coaster first, sponsored, he wasn't surprised to see, by Lucis Corp. He was, however, surprised when Ignis pulled out a pair of VIP passes that allowed them to skip the sizable line.

On second thought, he supposed he shouldn't have been.

"Man, you really think of everything," was all Noctis managed before being whisked off at breakneck speed. Whatever answer he may have received was carried away by the wind.

Noctis didn't have a chance to continue the conversation until they took a break on the ferris wheel. He managed to be only a _little_ surprised as Ignis retrieved a cooler from the ride operator and proceeded to pull out a small spread of sandwiches, drinks, and cakes; a bigger shock arrived when Noctis came to the pleasant realization that none of the foods contained even the barest traces of vegetables.

"How long have you been…" Noctis made a vague gesture with his sandwich, once the two settled down, watching the rest of the park draw away below them. "You know. Observing me?"

"Three years and some," came the reply. "I transferred to Maagho shortly after you started middle school."

"That long? So you know a lot about me."

"I suppose you can say that, yes. I did know your favourite foods, after all."

"Okay, but!" Noctis held up a finger. "I hardly know anything about you. So why don't you tell me about yourself?"

"Oh, there's nothing much to tell. I'm just your regular, run-of-the-mill student."

"Uh-huh." Noctis snorted. "A regular student who moonlights as a secret agent for one of the biggest companies in the world."

"Precisely." Ignis shot him a too-innocent smile. "It appears you already know all there is to know about me. What else is there to say?"

Noctis leaned closer, voice conspiratorial. "Well, I've heard there's a peculiar rumor that you don't date anyone. Call it circumstantial curiosity if you will, but care to tell me why?"

"No reason." Ignis shrugged, his smile tightening a fraction. "Evidently, no one was interested."

"That's a funny way to describe turning down everyone who's asked you out."

Ignis was silent as the ferris wheel slowed to a grinding halt, their car swaying gently at the apex.

Noctis wanted to roll his eyes at the perfectly precise timing as the operator announced that there was a small problem, which would be resolved shortly.

"You _cannot_ date me, Noct," was the reply, barely audible even in the quiet above the world, "no matter my reason. Nor should you want to. I am unsuitable for one in your position, and there will be nothing between us after today."

"I just… want to know. That's all."

"I swore an oath once," Ignis said, and there was something eerie and sad in his tone. "I vowed my heart away, and no power on earth can bring it back."

It was the voice, Noctis decided, smooth and deep and earnest, and the serious look in Ignis's eyes, that made these words seem true and powerful, when they would seem laughably melodramatic spoken by anyone else.

Noctis didn't laugh.

"Thank you," he said instead. "For coming with me, I mean. I didn't know."

The creak of metal answered him as the ferris wheel groaned into motion, like the hands of a great clock laboriously marking the passage of time.

Ignis glanced out as they started to descend, his expression lost to time. "It's quite all right. As I've said, I enjoy the time we spend together."

And for that, Noctis had no response, except, maybe, to fall in love a little more.

He didn't know when it started, but just for one day, he would let himself admit it, before their lives inexorably went on.

By the time they disembarked from the ferris wheel, lunch cooler and all, Ignis was back to his usual self, perfectly charming and charmingly perfect.

"Now then," Ignis said, extending a gallant hand. "Ready for more thrills?"

Standing amidst the beaming sunlight and gentle autumn breeze, Noctis wished the day would never end.


	10. Just One Day

If there was one thing Noctis learned about Ignis from the weeks they'd known each other, it was this: Ignis was always prepared. It could not have been displayed more perfectly than it had on their date, when he'd had everything arranged, from lines to lunch, creating accommodations that seemed an impossibility.

But even Ignis, Noctis discovered, was not infallible.

No one could have predicted the storm; the weatherman certain hadn't.

"It'll be sunshine all day," Ignis had said that morning. "Perfect for a date."

A glance at his phone told Noctis the same. Sunny, clear skies, mild temperature. As nice as the day they met. If Noctis were the paranoid sort, he would have been certain something was going to go wrong, but he usually left those types of thoughts to Prompto. As it were, he remained blissfully unaware of a future that wanted to play him like a marionette.

Noctis glanced up nervously when the storm clouds rolled in, turning the bright afternoon into an early dusk. "Do you think it's gonna rain?"

"Not likely," Ignis said with absolute confidence. "These clouds should soon be on their way."

Yet the clouds lingered, hanging dark and heavy as a frown as they took a walk around the lake. Noctis glanced longingly at the fishing spots again, but shook his head when Ignis offered to let him fish. With the absence of the sun, his time suddenly seemed that much shorter, every second a precious grain of gold that slipped through his fingers.

"It looks like a totally different place in the dark," Noctis murmured, watching as lights from the park shone like a mirage of magical bonfires in the lake, shifting with each ripple.

Ignis hummed in agreement. "And no less beautiful."

Mesmerized by the sight, Noctis didn't realize what he was seeing at first. The lights scattered and reformed. Then, it happened again. And again.

When the first raindrop hit Noctis on the face, he wrinkled his nose and raised his arm to wipe it. And then the sky opened up, an unseasonal torrential downpour that had park-goers dashing for cover.

"Uh," was all he could say for a moment.

"But… this can't be." Ignis looked at the sky, aghast at the heavens' betrayal.

Noctis tugged on his arm, and ran.

It wasn't far that they went, finding shelter under a small bridge they'd passed by only minutes ago. Noctis didn't fare too badly; after Ignis snapped into motion, he sheltered the younger teen with his jacket. Still, he fretted over Noctis, seeming unbothered as water dotted his glasses, ran in rivulets from his hair and down the sculpted planes of his cheek, dripping from his chin.

"I apologize for that unseemly display," Ignis said once they caught their breath. "I should have brought an umbrella. If anything were to happen to you, I..."

"Hey. Look." Noctis put a hand on his arm, caught between touched and amused. "It's fine. I'm fine. No one could have seen it coming, okay? Besides, I'm more worried about you."

"You could easily catch a chill in this weather." Ignis shook his head. "It is my duty to keep you safe, and I have failed spectacularly."

"I…" Noctis paused, whatever thoughts he'd had flying out of his head. "Duty" was a word that hit him like a punch to the gut, a reminder of everything waiting for him outside this park, of everyone following him only out of obligation. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry, and repeated, "I'm fine."

They stood, not far enough to be strangers, not close enough to be… whatever it was they were. Noctis watched the rain fall, the pitter-patter of water hitting water filling the silence between them.

Everything had gone wrong, and he could only stand there and watch, heart twisting, as Ignis built up his walls again, all hints of his earlier candor quickly disappearing. An agent tasked with watching over him; not his friend, and not something more.

The date was never meant to be. Ignis had humoured him, obliged him, and acted the perfect gentleman. And he'd taken it all at face value, happily, obliviously, selfishly.

"We should head back," Noctis said quietly, hating every word. "Once the rain stops, I mean."

He thought he heard a sharp breath, but didn't dare look up. Ignis's voice, when he spoke, was as even as always. "If that is your wish."

It wasn't.

"Hey, Ignis. Why did you agree to the date anyway? If I knew you didn't want to, I wouldn't have pressed it."

"It was a whim, I suppose." Then, softer, almost lost to the echo of dancing raindrops: "Whatever I may seem, I am only human, after all."

Noctis had never known one little sentence could change so much. What was it supposed to mean? That Ignis made a mistake dating him? Or that, maybe, Ignis wanted this?

"What if you had no duties?" Noctis asked, expecting nothing. "What would you have done?"

The answer took his breath away.

"I would have made this day last forever."

Noctis drew a step closer, then another, until their shoulders touched. "What would you do if this was real? If I'm just Noctis Gar, scholarship student, and you're just Ignis Scientia, genius chef. No duties, no obligations."

"Noct, you know that can't…"

"Just for today? Please?"

Noctis didn't know how he looked, small, unsure, shivering despite his bravado and Ignis's jacket hanging around him like a cape. Pathetic, probably. No one would have given him a second glance if he weren't a Lucis Caelum, not least of all Ignis, talented, smart, proud, handsome Ignis, who was good at everything and gave him a place where he could belong.

In the dimness, Ignis looked like a statue, still and serene, shining as the distant lights danced over his water-slicked form. His shirt clung to him like a second skin, and Noctis found himself admiring, with no small amount of surprise, the muscles that lay beneath, too strong and defined for a simple student chef.

And when Ignis moved, slow and graceful, the lights rippled as his muscles shifted.

Noctis caught himself staring as he found Ignis's face close to his, their breaths mingling in small puffs.

"This would make it harder for both of us later," Ignis whispered, a hair's breadth away.

"I know," Noctis whispered back, hating the pleading he couldn't keep out of his voice.

"There is no future where I can be anything to you. You knew that before we began."

"Yeah. I did."

"And yet, you still…" Ignis shook his head, though he didn't move away. "Noct. I cannot bear to make any mistakes or wrong assumptions about this. Tell me: what do you want to do?"

"Kiss me." Noctis blushed when the words left his mouth, much more quickly and easily than he had anticipated. "Stay with me, for as long as you can. Pretend, for a day, that this could be our lives. Um," he added, growing redder with each sentence, "if that's what you want, too."

Even through rain-splattered glasses, Noctis could see the conflict in Ignis's eyes.

Noctis waited for the decision, waited through the hesitation, through the murmurs of, "I have already condemned myself enough today."

And then the lips were on his, seeking him out with a desperation that shocked him as much as it assured him that this was the right choice. Even if they could never reach back to this closeness again, this moment would be worth all the heartache in the future.

Future him might disagree, but Noctis pushed future him out of his mind, and clung to the present with everything he had.

"I would assume," Ignis said with a small laugh, once they broke the kiss, "you'd like to rescind the offer of heading back."

"Yeah." Noctis laughed too, both in relief and in giddy joy. "Definitely."

"Excellent. I had more activities planned. It would have been a shame for us to leave before dinner."

"Well, if lunch is any indication, I definitely don't want to miss dinner."

It didn't take long for the storm to abate, the dark clouds racing away as quickly as they'd arrived. The late afternoon sun cast glistening rays on the world, catching on every dewdrop and turning them to diamonds.

Noctis was _so_ ready to keep going.

"Not so fast." Ignis grabbed the younger teen's arm as he tried to dash off. "Let's get you into some dry clothing first."

There were some half-hearted protests, all ignored as Ignis steered him towards a gift shop. The faces he made didn't have any effect either, as Ignis calmly purchased a shirt and a souvenir towel and thrust them into Noctis's arms.

"What about you?" Noctis asked through a sneeze. He only bought one shirt, after all.

"I'm not the one getting sick," Ignis replied, arms crossed, brow raised.

"You just don't wanna wear thi--ACHOO!"

Ignis gave him a pointed look.

So it was that Noctis found himself shuttled to the bathroom, towel in one hand and t-shirt in the other, while Ignis waited outside after Noctis jokingly objected that they weren't quite at that stage of their relationship yet.

Now, to be perfectly clear, Noctis had nothing against wearing a Choco-Mog t-shirt. In fact, he'd been eyeing them every time they passed by a gift shop earlier, concocting wild ideas about how he could sneak away to buy one without Ignis noticing. So, really, this was a great chance - except the mortification he'd have wearing it next to Ignis and his suit. "Embarrassing" didn't even _begin_ to describe his situation.

Noctis examined himself in the mirror after changing. He looked a bit silly, but he could make the best of a bad situation. He just had to ruffle up his hair a bit, fix the spikes that drooped with the rain…

When he heard the door creak, Noctis was performing a particularly delicate operation on a hair tuft.

"You're such a worrywort," he mumbled without glancing up.

There was no answer.

There was no one in the washroom with him at all, at least as far as he could see.

Noctis felt the hairs on his neck stand up.

Before he could react, a hand covered his mouth as another twined around his neck, and his knees buckled as the world went dark.


	11. Trial by Fire

The first thing Noctis thought upon waking up in a small room, tied to a chair, was that whatever god directed his life had the most over-dramatic, stereotypical tastes ever. Amusement park date, first kiss, kidnap… He wasn't going to complain about the first two, but how much more cliched could this get?

The answer came as a figure entered the room, dressed in black from head to toe, face mask included. If Noctis were more coherent, a part of his mind realized, he'd find the situation terrifying. As it was, he just found it comical.

"Good, you're awake," was all the newcomer managed to say before Noctis burst out laughing.

"Really? A voice modulator?"

The punch shocked through his system. It hurt, but just barely - not enough to bruise, not enough to injure. That, more than anything, was enough to set him on high alert. Someone who could pull a punch, he remembered from Gladio's training, was much more dangerous than someone who could not.

"All here?" the stranger asked, mild and conversational. "Good. Why don't you tell me where the Ring of the Lucii is, and I won't have to do that again? Otherwise… well, you're a smart boy. I'm sure you can connect the dots."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Noctis glared at the person. And, because it felt appropriate, he added, "Besides, I wouldn't tell you even if I did."

He expected the second punch, but not the force that came with it.

The stranger waited until he caught his breath again, still wincing. "I hope that helped to jog your memory. I do so hate having to hurt kids."

"Yeah?" Noctis spat. "Not what it looks like to me."

This time, there was a slap, reverberating through his head even as he braced himself for it. But it cleared his mind, gave him a moment to think.

He was taken from the washroom at the park. He wasn't sure how they got past Ignis, or where he was now, or how long he was out for. The stranger in the room with him was tall and muscular, and even if he managed to get out of his bounds, he doubted he'd be able to get away.

For now, he had no choice but to play along. They wanted the Ring of the Lucii, and they thought he had it.

It would help if he had any clue what it was.

A fragment of memory drifted into his head, unbidden. His father, back facing him, typing too quickly into a laptop precariously balanced on a tiny empty corner of a table otherwise covered with vials and machines. His father explained his research, and Noctis listened, attentively, with no understanding of any of it. He felt small and confused, but his father turned and smiled reassuringly at him, and all was well with the world.

But the pause after was what he remembered best. His father simply _stopped_ , hands pausing mid-air, such fear written on his face that Noctis had never seen before or since.

"Noct, go home with Uncle Clarus." The request wasn't strange, but the urgency in his voice was.

The words Noctis overheard then didn't make any more sense to him now, try as he might to understand them. "It's real. It's all real. The Ring of the Lucii, the curse of the founder…"

"That's the look of a good, obedient kid remembering." The figure in black leaned against the wall, as casual and dangerous as a predator poised to pounce. "Ready to make a deal? You tell me where the ring is, and you get to go home in one piece."

"How do I know I can trust your deal?" Play along, Noctis repeated in his head. His mind whirled, trying to stall for time, for any advantage he could grasp. "You did kidnap me, you know." Ignis must have noticed something; he was too sharp not to. But how late? "What's to stop you from killing me once I tell you?"

Unless--Ignis was working with these guys? Or, even worse, was this interrogator. The mannerism was different, but not by much. On the other hand, the height, the build, the musculature he'd tried to hide... all of those were a perfect fit.

No. Noctis pushed the thought out of his mind. Not Ignis, not after what had passed between them.

"Nothing," the stranger said with a shrug. "But you're hardly in a position to bargain."

"Really?" Noctis tried to sound unaffected. He had to get out of these bindings, first. But then what? Make a mad dash? Even if he could get out of the room, he didn't know where he was or how many more enemies there were. "I think I'm in the perfect position." Think. If he could get his phone, he could send a message to Specs. And then what? "You want the Ring of the Lucii? You can't get it without me."

He could send a location quickly, and trust that someone was close enough. But the first step was getting his phone.

And he just walked into the perfect plan.

"Is that right?" Hopefully, that was a hint of nerves that Noctis heard, though he may be imagining it. "Care to explain?"

There were two things this plan hinged on: one, that this interrogator didn't quite know what the Ring of the Lucii was, and if Noctis didn't know, he was willing to bet most others didn't; and two, he could, in fact, make a convincing guess as to what the Ring of the Lucii was.

He had one faded memory to go on.

"You know it's not a physical ring, right?" It was the only thing that made sense. Or rather, it was the only sensible thing he could think of that could bullshit him back his phone.

Noctis couldn't see the stranger's expression, but the lack of a reply was probably good. "I dunno how much you know, but you must have suspected at least. It's research notes."

The figure snorted. "And this is where you tell me it's in your phone and only you can access it?"

"Well. Yeah." Was he that obvious? He probably was. Still, Noctis stuck his chin out and plowed on. If he backed down now, his whole story would come crumbling down. "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but you're not getting it any other way."

And he wasn't going to escape any other way, either. If Specs could have found him, surely he would have by then.

That drew a laugh out of the stranger, dry and distorted by the voice modulator. "I suppose you'll ask to be untied, too. Kids these days want everything handed to them."

Noctis was busy trying to think of another plan when he found his arms untied and his phone dangling in front of his face.

"You've got five minutes. Don't try anything funny."

The door opened, closed, and locked with a click, and then he was alone in the room, with his phone, wondering what the catch was.

The screen was left on his texts.

_This is Glauca,_ said the last sent message that day. _I have your little master. You lose._

Specs's replies came frantically, one message after another.

_Where is Noct? Is he okay?_

_What are you after?_

_I don't care if you're from Lucis or Niflheim. If any harm comes to him, I will make you rue the day you were born._

_No matter what_ _it is you're after, he is worth more to you alive than dead.  
_

Noctis saw his screen shake as he read, then realized it was his own hands trembling. They'd meant for him to see this. He'd thought he was so brave, so clever. And all along, he'd played right into their hands.

_Hey, Specs,_ he wrote quickly. _I'm okay. I'm trapped somewhere. I'm trying to see what I can do, but they're coming back soon._

He pressed send, along with a location, and stared without comprehension as the words turned red on his screen.

No reception.

He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Of course. They couldn't possibly have made it that easy. He felt like a child in a game, given fragments of clues to piece together a puzzle. How was he going to _get_ reception? How far did Specs's dedication extend, and Ignis's resourcefulness?

...How much did this "Glauca" person really need him alive?

He raked his brain for any information regarding the name. It was someone from Niflheim, he believed, a fact that lay in line with Specs's response. A high-ranking officer, most likely, if he could recognize the name. He knew no more than that.

He was still figuring out the first question, but he had to place his trust in the second. The third was the gamble, with his life the wager. Specs told them they couldn't hurt him, but if they were to realize just how little he knew about the Ring of the Lucii, they might decide that keeping him alive was more trouble than it was worth.

"Time's up." The door opened, and the stranger sauntered in again - at least Noctis assumed it was the same one. "Did you like my little present?"

Noctis tensed. Was this Glauca? Was this the person who taunted Specs over him? Through his fear, Noctis felt anger rising. Kidnapping him was one thing, but using him to hurt his closest friends filled him with indignation.

"What do you want with him?" Noctis demanded, summoning the most furious glare he could muster.

The stranger snorted. "Bold words from someone in your position. But since you asked, I'll fill you in. I want him to bring me the Ring of the Lucii. You can tell him where it is."

"I already told you, it's on my phone."

"The phone that we've thoroughly examined? There were no encrypted files, nothing even remotely suspicious." When Noctis didn't answer, the stranger tsked. "What would your school think of such a perfect student lying?"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Noctis said. "Specs won't answer."

It was a weak excuse and he knew it.

"Do you really think he values his secrecy more than his precious protege's life? Well, no matter. If he won't answer…" A shrug. "Then you can ask someone else. Your bodyguard, your roommate, maybe the little pretend boyfriend you were with. Who do you want to trust with daddy's biggest secret?"

Noctis bristled. But it was also a chance. If he could get in contact with Specs, with _anyone,_ he might be able to get some information through. He wasn't so stupid as to think they would let him say whatever he wanted, but if there was any possibility, however small, he had to take it.

"Fine," Noctis said, after what he felt was an appropriately long pause. "It's not like I have a choice anyway, do I?"

"You have the choice of sitting in this room until you starve to death."

If nothing else, an offer he couldn't refuse made the lack of a refusal seem less suspicious.

Leaving the room was strangely civil after that, almost amicable. Noctis had wondered how he would be able to sneak out, go behind his kidnapper, fight his way through… But the stranger simply opened the door and swept an exaggerated bow.

Noctis walked out of the room and into what looked like a storehouse or an unused gym. The building was massive, and largely empty save for neat stacks of crates marked with chemical compounds he barely recognized and a few oddly-shaped structures draped with fabric that could be machines of some kind. The room he'd been in was the only one on the premise that he could see, and two figures stood guard beside it, similarly dressed to the one who led him out. More guards milled around a large door on the farthest wall. Their stances seemed strangely stiff, and Noctis realized with a chill that they were the inhuman creatures that attacked Prompto and him.

"Call him." The stranger's voice tore Noctis's attention back to the situation at hand. "And don't even think about pulling any stunts."

Noctis called, the second time he'd ever tried to reach Specs by phone. The first time was two years ago, and the phone had rang and rang, and Specs had sent him a message afterwards apologizing and explaining that he couldn't let anyone see his face or hear his voice.

This time, the dial tone stopped after two rings, and there was silence on the other end.

"Hey, Specs?"

There was a sharp intake of breath, and then the phone was ripped out of his hand.

"So you've broken yet another one of your rules for this boy. How many more will you break today?"

Specs stayed silent through the taunt, and for that, Noctis was both relieved and disappointed. He ached to have a clue about his mysterious benefactor's identity, but he feared what he would find - and moreso what his kidnapper may discover.

"Well, we'll find out soon." The laugh came like a bark. "Your young master here can explain my terms. If you follow them as well as you follow the old coot's orders, we might let the kid live. If either of you even think of doing anything weird, the chances of that are going to go down significantly."

This was where the game began. Noctis had a plan, and he knew every pair of eyes in the room was trained on him, waiting for him to step out of line. If this scheme failed, it would be his last.

The phone passed back to him. He considered his words carefully.

"Hey, Specs. I'll cut straight to the chase. They want you to go find the Ring of the Lucii. You know, dad's greatest treasure. I know you don't know where it is, but you're probably close. It's in the…" Warehouse? Definitely too obvious. "...stor...age cabinet. The password to open it is _Deus dormit et liberi ignem faciunt_ \--"

A heavy strike knocked the phone to the ground with a crash, and Noctis nearly off his feet. Quick as lightning, the stranger's hand was around Noctis's neck, choking but not yet crushing.

"What did you tell him?"

Noctis struggled to gasp in a breath. "Just… password…"

"You have a habit of lying." The grip tightened. "What did it mean?"

"D...don't know. Can't speak… Latin…"

The hand relaxed a fraction, and then let go. Noctis gulped down air, hoping, praying Specs got his hints. It was true he didn't understand, but he'd known the words from a song, and he hoped that Specs would. He was fortunate to still be alive. His phone, on the other hand, had no such luck, lying cracked and broken, exposed circuitry sparking.

That wasn't exactly what he'd planned, but it would do. As soon as he could catch his breath and move again, at least.

Slowly, the tension in the room ebbed away as Noctis lowered himself to the ground, and sat, and waited, and tried not to think about how frantic Specs must be.

It only took a moment of inattention. The two guards nearby relaxed soon enough, and even the main interrogator seemed bored now that he ran out of interrogating to do. The mechanical soldiers by the large doors still stood there like armored statues, but Noctis would just have to take his chances with them.

One second, the three guards glanced at each other as they talked. The next, Noctis slid over, grabbed his phone, and dashed towards the crates.

The guards were fast, but Noctis had a head start and not a lot of distance to go.

"Don't shoot!" he heard behind him. Exactly what he was counting on.

The sound of too many footsteps on concrete resounded towards Noctis as he skidded to a stop, cracked his broken phone in half, and threw.

He'd read the label correctly, he was sure. Highly flammable, reacts with the smallest spark…

There was a crash of shattering glass, dozens of tinkering glass vials, and then the fwoosh of rising flames.

As branches of conflagration leapt from box to box, rising to lick the ceiling, Noctis turned and faced his attackers with a grim smile on his face. Now was the moment of truth: either Specs would be there soon, or they would die together in the inferno.

The heat brought a wave of dizziness, made worse by the cloying smoke. Noctis didn't even see the fist coming before it connected with his jaw, and another with his stomach.

"Take the little shit and get out of here!"

Noctis found himself slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of potatoes, too weak to protest. He fought to stay conscious, keep his eyes open and get clues, find escape--

A loud crash sounded, accompanied by a gust of cool, fresh air. Amidst the shifting clouds of smoke, Noctis could see a graceful figure cutting through the fire, a dancer in the flames. Daggers flashed in each hand, reflecting the blaze as he dispatched enemy after enemy.

Noctis didn't know when he ended up on the floor or why his eyelids felt so heavy, but he found gentle arms gathering him up, pressing him against a warm chest, solid and secure.

"Specs…"

"You're safe now, Noct," he thought he heard someone murmur, a familiar voice blending dream and reality. "Rest. I'll take you home."


	12. Healing Days

Waking up in a bed was infinitely nicer than a chair, Noctis decided, and said so. It wasn't as nice as waking up sheltered in someone's arms, but he had enough sense not to say that part.

"Noct!" said several voices at once.

Noctis opened his eyes and pushed himself up, wincing and giving up after a short-lived attempt. It wasn't _his_ bed he was in, or his room, but it was warm and comfortable.

"Noooo, you can't get up yet!"

That was Iris.

"I can grab something if you need it."

And Prompto.

Both crowded around his bed, concern all over their faces.

"Hey." Noctis smiled weakly. His face hurt.

"I'm glad to see you awake, Noctis." This voice came from his left, gentle and melodious as spring waters. "You have suffered grave injuries. I've done what I can, but you need to rest."

"Luna?" Noctis turned his head, half in disbelief, and there she was, an angel in gold and white, wiser and more serene than anyone had a right to be.

She smiled and nodded.

Prompto looked between the two. "Wait, I thought Ignis pulled some fancy connections to get her here, but you _know_ Miss Lunafreya? Like, _the_ Miss Lunafreya Nox-Fleuret of Tenebrae Inc?"

"Well, yeah," Iris piped up before Noctis could think of a good excuse. "She's Noct's fiancée! Of course she'd come to save hin!"

"Wait what?!"

The shock on Prompto's face was pure gold. Noctis allowed himself a tiny smirk before shaking his head. "It's… complicated. I'll tell you later."

Later meaning preferably never, of course; there was no sense dragging Prompto into a world where secret service agents abducted teenagers out of amusement park bathrooms.

"So what happened to you anyway? You didn't come back on Sunday night and I got really worried. I called Gladio and he started talking about search parties."

"I… got kidnapped." Noctis swallowed a lump in his throat. It sounded silly, saying it aloud in daylight. "Specs rescued me. I think."

"Seriously?" Prompto nearly jumped from his spot. "Geez, that explains a lot. Well, not really. Ignis brought you to our room at like 2 in the morning or something and I almost thought you were dead! He left you there for a bit and then came back with Gladio and Ravus and we moved you to his room cause he says it's safer here."

Noctis's mind swam with the information. So Specs must have gotten Ignis to take him back. It made sense; he would have been near too. He didn't want to think about the other possibility, that his saviour amongst the swirling flames looked strikingly familiar.

"So this is… Ignis's room?" Noctis tried to have a look around, but his body was slow to cooperate. The flush that crept up to his cheek at the implication, however, was anything but slow. "Where's Ignis, anyway?"

"Hey, easy there. So he was pretty much glued to your side until Miss Lunafreya showed up. He left like… a couple hours ago I guess?"

Noctis pushed aside a wave of disappointment. Ignis probably just had things to do. He'd be back. It was his room, after all.

Besides, they had an agreement, kidnapping notwithstanding. One day. That was it. Now, he was back to being Noctis Lucis Caelum, heir of Lucis Corp, engaged, as circumstances liked to remind him, to the beautiful Lady Lunafreya.

It was a comfortable life, a privileged one others would kill to have. Noctis pushed Ignis out of his mind.

He was out for two days, he pieced together from his friends. No one in school knew except his close friends, and Prompto guessed that Ignis must have said something to the teachers. All of them told the class the same story - that Noctis had to go home for a family emergency.

It had been Ravus taking care of him for the most part, to Noctis's amusement and certainly the former's chagrin. The best doctors only, Ignis had insisted, and that meant Tenebrae Inc. Lunafreya arrived earlier that day and took over Noctis's treatment, and once Ignis ensured he was in good hands, he vanished.

By late evening, Gladio came to visit and brought Iris home with him, along with a request to let Specs know Noctis was okay; Prompto finally excused himself to eat and do homework after many worried looks; and even Ravus made a rare appearance to bring his sister food and check on Noctis - he had a doctor's duty, he said imperiously, and not because he cared about Noctis's well-being.

"How do you feel, Noctis?" Luna asked once all the visitors were gone, and they were alone, and Ignis still had not returned.

"Okay, I guess, all things considered." He tried to move his arms, and they felt like lead. "Kinda weak. But I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, so thank you. And Ravus, I guess."

"You had many and small cuts, as well as some minor burns. The biggest danger was smoke inhalation. I heard about what you have done from Specs. If he had found you any later than that, there would be little that even I can do."

Noctis stayed quiet and let that sink in. He knew the stunt he pulled was dangerous, but he couldn't come up with anything else at the time.

He frowned. "Wait, you're in contact with Specs too? Did he ask you to come here? From out of the country?"

"He did." Uncharacteristically, Lunafreya spoke with open hesitation. "I was already nearby when he asked for my assistance. Noctis, you need to hear this, but no one else must know of it, not even your friend Specs. I have a message for you."

"Luna?"

After another long pause, Noctis felt Lunafreya's hands reach for his, a light touch before she pressed something against his palm and curled his fingers around it. It was small and round, made of cold metal and hard stone.

"I came back a few weeks ago," Lunafreya continued softly. "I had an urgent patient I had to attend to."

"The plant?" Noctis asked, against all common sense.

"No, not the Ulwaat berry bush, though Ravus had implored me. I was approached by a man I'd never met and asked to heal another that I thought already beyond life."

Noctis didn't dare to believe, hardly dared to even breathe, lest he shatter this fragile dream.

"He asked me to entrust that to you, along with these words: walk tall, my son."

Time stopped for Noctis. There could be no mistake, no false hopes and self-delusional lies. His hand clenched tightly over Luna's gift, tracing over the shape. He knew what it was, though he'd never seen it before. The irony of it made him want to laugh.

"Thank you, Luna."

"I did no more than what anyone should." A gentle nudge against his knuckles drew his attention, and he followed Lunafreya's gaze to the door. "There is someone who risked his life and more to find me and bring me to your father."

Noctis didn't recognized the man who walked in at first, hooded and shadowed as he was, but he could hazard a guess. Though not tall or bulky, the newcomer exuded strength in an easy way that reminded him of his kidnappers.

The man lifted his hood as he bowed, hand fisted over his heart.

"Nyx Ulric." A name he wasn't expecting to hear or say again.

"Sir."

Noctis closed his eyes against the threatening flood of tears. "Thank you."

For the first time since the news of his father's death, Noctis felt hope not tinged by desperation. He would regain his strength and find his father, and everything would be all right. Niflheim, the Ring of the Lucii, the traitors in their company; they could figure out all of those together. Even his engagement with Luna and his growing closeness to Ignis, he was sure his father would have advice for.

He slept peacefully that night, ready to get back into the action.

Despite the readiness, however, it took Noctis nearly a whole week to recover.

By the third day, Noctis could move his arms and legs, and sit up with assistance, and he was bored and antsy. Luna watched him like a hawk and sternly forbade him from even trying to get up unassisted.

Ignis never came back.

"Oh, I've got just the thing!" Prompto said on his morning visit, when Noctis complained of boredom.

"Just the thing" turned out to be a stack of books, which Gladio proudly delivered in the afternoon. Noctis started one, decided that Gladio's tastes in books were as awful as Prompto's in food, and kept reading anyway.

Every now and then, he played with his father's present that Lunafreya delivered. It was a ring. It had to be the Ring of the Lucii, or his father wouldn't have entrusted it to him, but it was mind-boggling that it was actually a ring. It was ornate and beautiful, heavy for something so small, but he couldn't find anything out of the ordinary about it.

A day later, Noctis woke to find a phone beside his bed. It looked the same as the one he had, and he opened it to find all his apps arranged just the way he'd left them.

His photo album was empty, as were his texts, save for one waiting for him.

_Hello, Noct. Welcome back. Gladiolus and Lunafreya kept me apprised of your condition. I am happy to hear of your recovery. I understand you may be bored, but it is important that you do not strain yourself, as I'm sure your lady physician has advised you. For my part, I hope this phone will provide some relief both from ennui and from Gladio's decidedly dreadful tastes in books. I've attempted to replicate your previous phone as much as I could, though I fear my success is rather limited._

Noctis smiled at the message.

_Hey Specs. Thanks, you saved me._

_Speaking of saving me, I didn't get to thank you for that. And… I'm sorry. Because of my dumb choices, you had to go through all that._

When he closed his eyes, he could picture the fires around him. What was he _thinking_ , asking someone to dive into that inferno for him? And Specs had done it without question.

_Noct, you need never apologize for requesting aid. I would walk through hellfire to bring you back safely. Remember: it was not your fault, and you did the best you could under the circumstances. It was by my own failing that I could not locate you, and allowed harm to come to you._

Noctis felt something twist inside of him.

_No! You didn't fail. I would have been dead if you weren't as amazing as you were, okay? How 'bout we say it's the Niffs' fault and leave it at that?_

_It was them, wasn't it? Who is Glauca? Was that him?_

It took longer than usual for the reply to come.

_I believe it was indeed the work of Niflheim agents. However, it is unlikely that any of the perpetrators present were actually Glauca. He is a special operations officer employed by Niflheim, an expert of information gathering and combat. He is, also, far stronger and more experienced than I am. There is very little chance that he would lose to me.  
_

Noctis shuddered. It was rare that Specs spoke so highly of anyone or displayed anything less than confidence in his own skills.

_I'll be careful. But I believe in you. Dad assigned you to watch me after all, yeah?_

He could only hope that Specs would understand how much he meant.

_I would not question your father's judgment, but I highly doubt I am living up to his expectations. His belief and yours are misplaced, but I swear on my life I will not fail you again._

_Noct, do not forget that I am a pawn for you to use and discard as needed. Your enemies will not give thought to their tools, and neither must you._

Like he could do that.

_You are a friend I trust and depend on. I can't, and won't, ever treat you as anything less._

There was no reply for the rest of the day.


	13. Lost Secrets

The weekend came and went, and Noctis had three revelations.

One: When he was well enough to move around on his own, he went to class, not to visit his dad. His teachers and classmates all exclaimed over him, and he finished the day with a pile of makeup work that Prompto had to help him carry.

Luna gently shook her head when he asked to see his father, and her patient explanation made the words no less difficult to hear. "I am sorry, Noctis. Nyx tells me there is heavy surveillance on the school right now. If either of us leave the premise, I am certain they will follow us. Your father's condition is stable, but he may not handle an attack."

Two: Ignis was most definitely avoiding him. Noctis didn't know where the upperclassman was staying, but it certainly wasn't his own room, where Noctis was still taking up residence. Most of his personal effects were still there, but if he ever came back for them, it was only when Noctis was asleep or away.

To make matters worse, Specs was definitely in on it - Ignis's number was one of the few things not recovered from his old phone, and somehow, he felt it wasn't an accident.

_Ignis is no longer involved with your protection,_ was all Specs said on the matter.

Noctis, as in all matters involving Ignis somehow, went behind his guardian's back to find the older teen's number in the school directory. He didn't dare to call, knowing Ignis wouldn't answer.

Three: The ring his father gave him had some kind of trick to it. As he toyed with it, absently, whenever he wasn't busy with something else, he could feel the pieces on it slide. The ring still looked completely solid, as if wrought of a single piece of black steel, but he could see it changing.

Noctis looked at the stack of papers he had to finish, and he looked at the tiny, innocuous ring in his hand that had almost lost him his life, and he decided that his marks were high enough to suffer a little.

That was the intent, at least. It took two more days before Noctis solved the ring, fiddling with it between tests and ever more homework, light training and visits to the cooking club.

"We're going to work harder on your self-defense skills," Gladio told him when he showed up. "From the sounds of it, the guys you'll be up against will be trained fighters you can't hope to beat. If they want information, they probably won't try to kill you, but you can't afford to take that chance. Anyway, the best way to deal with them is to free yourself and run."

A short session later, Noctis already had to turn in, breathless and feeling like jelly.

"Or we work on stamina first," Gladio said with a wink. "The ladies will get disappointed if that's all you can last."

As payback, Noctis asked Gladio to help bring his laptop from his room and a box of Cup Noodles, a task the latter was happy enough to do.

There was less luck over at the cooking club.

"Noct!" Dino greeted, a jarring contrast with his smiles and half-hugs. "Good to see you again! Your clients have been missing you, you know? How did that family emergency go? Everything resolved?"

"Um. Yeah." Noctis craned his neck, trying to look around him into the room. "Can't stay around, though. Uh, got a lot of makeup work. You know where Ignis is?"

"I saw him head into the kitchen. He should be out in a jiffy."

Ignis was not out in a jiffy, and going to the kitchen, unfortunately, involved going through the cafe. Before Noctis made it halfway, he was accosted by a throng of worried students with kind wishes for his family and him.

When he finally made it to the kitchen, Ignis was nowhere in sight.

Solving the ring felt like a flash of victory amidst so many defeats. Noctis was working through his mountains of homework when the last piece clicked into place and the face of the ring popped off.

Noctis stopped writing. Sitting in the cavity of the ring was a small memory card.

"This must be what your father wanted to give you," Luna said when he showed her. "Go on, Noctis. The contents are for you alone."

The contents, Noctis soon discovered, with excitement and trepidation both, were documents. Not just a few documents, either, but a dozen at least, each labeled with a title that told nothing of what was inside.

Noctis clicked on the first one, which opened at 76 pages, and groaned. He was in for a long read. But the key to defeating his enemies and bringing his father home lay in those documents, and he was going to find it.

The only thing Noctis found by morning was sleep, face imprinted with keys and fingers covered with ink. Sheepishly, he cleaned up, and, remembering Specs's warnings to be careful, took out the memory card and put it back into the ring. This time, he remembered the steps as he reassembled the lock on it and put it back into his pocket.

Strangely, Luna was not in the connected living room that morning, but someone had left a breakfast sandwich on the table labeled with his name. One taste told him who had made it, and he ate the rest with relish.

"Hey, Prompto," Noctis asked nonchalantly at the end of the school day, "have you seen Ignis lately?"

"Well, yeah." Prompto looked at him like he grew a second head. "I've been going to the cooking club most of the time and he's always there, and I see him when I'm out jogging sometime." He frowned. "Look, he's my friend too, I'm not trying to steal him or anything."

"No, no, that's not what I mean! I just. Haven't seen him much."

Prompto softened at that and frowned in concern. "Haven't seen him? But aren't you still staying in his room?"

"Yeah, that's the thing. I haven't seen him since…" Noctis had to take a moment to clear his throat. "Since the date. He made me breakfast this morning."

The look this time was full of pity. "You've got it bad, huh. But what about Miss Lunafreya? You don't get engaged to someone like that and then go and cheat on her with some random guy, no matter how hot he is, you know. Maybe he's doing you a favour by staying away."

"I'm not going to!" Noctis flopped over onto his desk. "I'm not cheating on her, I don't have anything going on with Ignis, I just want to talk to him. For closure, I guess."

"If he's avoiding you, I'll see if I can get a hold of him."

It didn't take long for Prompto to get a hold of Ignis, or so the blond claimed. Claimed, because by the time Noctis arrived, the upperclassman was nowhere in sight.

"He was here just a minute ago!" Prompto wailed, and Noctis decided that the first thing he was going to do when he finally found Ignis was punch him. Gently. Very gently.

Noctis spent the evening reading more of his father's notes, and the next day - Friday, he noted; he really hated Fridays by then - waiting anxiously for classes to end. And then it was off to room 305.

"Noct, what a coincidence!" Dino, as always, was full of smiles. "Ignis had to step out, but he should be back in--"

"Whatever time it takes me to leave, right?" Noctis crossed his arms and stepped in, closing the door behind them. "It's fine, I'm looking for you, prez."

"That's a surprise."

"Yeah?" Noctis took a deep breath, and put a cheque on the counter next to them, his palm over it. "Given your position and the people in your club, I'm sure you know who I am."

"Pulling out the big guns, eh? Mr. Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"Good." Noctis slid the cheque towards Dino. "Tell Ignis Scientia he has a client request next Monday at 5. Don't give him any information about me. I don't care how you want to make sure he stays, chain him to the table if you need to. I'll double that amount if you're successful. But of course you will be, right? You wouldn't want to disappoint the heir to Lucis Corp."

Dino laughed, and Noctis felt more than ridiculous for the spiel.

"Sure, hotshot. I'll make sure he's here."

Noctis let out a sigh of relief to more laughing. At least that was the first part done. Now, he just had to wait - something he'd had to do too much of recently.

The reading made his weekend go much faster, and it was more interesting than he expected. As he sat curled on the couch with his laptop - and Ignis's couch, he had to admit, was way more comfortable than his - he could see in his mind's eye his father, scribbling, testing, occasionally making a surprised exclamation.

As intriguing as the writings were, however, Noctis still hadn't figured out their relevance to anything on hand. Most of the documents seemed to be in chronological order, as far as his father could figure out, though large chunks of information were missing in between.

Lucis Pharmaceutical was established by a pair of brothers a little over two hundred years ago, Noctis learned. The time was common knowledge, but the inaugurate members surprised him. He'd always heard that Somnus Lucis Caelum was the sole founding father, but the notes were most insistent that he had an older brother who jointly owned the company with him. The company did well, and there were photos of newspaper clips praising the fair business model Lucis had.

The next document was from several years later, and initially seemed unrelated to the previous. A disease spread through the country; infection was uncommon, but extremely deadly. The survival rate was close to none. This story, too, was something Noctis remembered. Somnus had developed a cure and was lauded as a hero, causing his company to rapidly expand into what it was now.

From there, the documents deviated from Noctis's memory and became strange. The unnamed brother, the document said, was the true innovator behind the company and the creator of the cure. This time, the document was accompanied both by careful scans of handwritten formulae and by painstaking transcriptions of them. Noctis recognized the first few, common medications the company sold even now.

The next few formulae seemed experimental, each one progressively building on the previous, until the last formula, highlighted and labeled not-at-all conspicuously as "ROTL VER. 1". Noctis could barely understand what it was trying to do, it was so complex, but given the context, it must be the cure to the mystery disease.

As the sun set and night covered the sky, Noctis continued reading in captive fascination. The research was explained over graphs and diagrams, comparisons between disease and cure, with one big question at the end, bolded and underlined: **Poisonous?**

And it was, Noctis discovered as the story continued. The older Lucis Caelum had given the cure to several people, who showed rapid signs of poisoning, suffering a paralysis that quickly spread through their bodies and stopped their hearts. The supporting documents this time were few, only a single half-burnt article fragment, and bank statements showing large sums of transfers from Lucis Pharmaceuticals to various newspapers, police departments, and government offices. A cover-up.

The farther he went down the list of documents, the more scant the information he found. The later ones only had formulae jotted down, notated with where they were found, and questions. So many questions. It was clear his father had not finished researching.

_Missing older brother - Ardyn Lucis Caelum?_

_Evidence shows Ardyn ingested prelim. cure - survived._

_Lucis Caelum genetic mutation?  
_

_Final formula - Somnus ver. safe for consumption._

Noctis dutifully read through all of the speculations and hypotheses, his head swimming. By the time he was done, it was closer to morning than night, and Luna had told him to go to bed twice already, and he had no idea what Niflheim wanted with any of the information or why they tried to kill his father.

Birds chirped outside. A yawn started, then another. Noctis felt like he was so close to figuring out the secret, and yet so far.

After sending one last message, Noctis finally gave in to sleep.

_Hey, Specs. What do you know about Ardyn Lucis Caelum?_


	14. Duties and Deliberations

Sunday was an entirely unproductive affair starting with waking shortly before dinner. There was a delivery of food from Prompto, who, as he seemed to do often, "happened" to run into Ignis - and Noctis was going to tell the guy himself to stop being ridiculous and do his own dirty work next time - and a message from Specs asking what he was doing up at that hour as well as saying he knew very little about Ardyn Lucis Caelum; he'd tried to research the man himself before, and come up empty-handed.

So in the end, Noctis had nothing to do but to eat his dinner and stare at the documents again. "ROTL" was very likely the Ring of the Lucii that everyone was looking for, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry that he'd been so close to the mark with his guess.

"Good evening, Noctis. Are you making good progress?" 

Noctis looked up to find Lunafreya standing before him, Nyx by her side. "Kinda. I dunno. I finished reading dad's notes yesterday, but I'm not sure what they mean. He didn't tell you anything else?"

"No, only what I have conveyed to you."

Lunafreya sat beside him, smoothing out her skirts. Noctis felt, unexpectedly, a flash of shame looking at her. She was so proper, so cultured, so beautiful - on Ignis's level. And here he was, the poor match she got stuck with, a dorky slob who couldn't stop pining after someone else. He wasn't worthy of Luna _or_ Ignis, or even of his position.

"Gil for your thoughts?"

"I, uh, it's nothing."

"Something is bothering you." Lunafreya shook her head, graceful and kind. "You can tell me anything, Noctis. I wish to ease your burdens."

He couldn't tell her the truth.

"I was thinking about the past," Noctis said instead. "I've known you for, what, almost ten years already? But I don't really remember much from back then. Just that I thought you were a goddess. And fields of blue flowers."

"Thank you, Noctis." Lunafreya's laugh rang like tinkling bells. "That must be from when you visited Tenebrae headquarters. You had a burning fever that lasted days, and no medicine seemed to help, so your father brought you to us. I assisted my mother in treating you, but in truth, most of what I did was simply sitting with you in the sylleblossom fields behind our hospital. You recovered, but the fever took much of your memories from before then."

"Was there someone else with us?" He was stepping onto thin ice, but the description caused an itch in the back of mind he had to scratch. "I keep dreaming of three of us running through fields."

"You didn't know?" The frown on her face made Noctis think he _should_ know whatever it was. "It's… It's Ignis. I thought this was all because… Oh, Noctis, I'm so sorry."

Noctis forgot how to breathe. It wasn't okay; nothing was okay. And the worst part was, he was pretty sure he _knew_. He knew, had known for weeks, and didn't want to admit it.

"Thank you," he managed to croak out when he could finally speak again.

"The two of you were nigh inseparable. I had wondered what caused this distance." Luna looked somewhere beyond him. "I understand now. He's been hurting for a long time. Noctis, please tell him this: that neither your father nor I had intended to cause him such pain, and it is not too late to rescind old offers."

"Yeah. I will." Noctis looked at Lunafreya, and knew the smile on her lips only served to mask her own pain. "I'm sorry, Luna."

He'd already made his choice. Maybe he'd already known it years ago, in the time before memory began.

And tomorrow, he was going to have a hell of a time convincing Ignis of that.

Starting with getting a hold of the man.

"He's in there." Dino pointed his thumb towards the cooking club room when Noctis showed up Monday evening as arranged. "But he said if you're the client, he's leaving. What happened, anyway?"

"I don't know. That's why I need to talk to him." Noctis peeked in through the window, where Ignis sat with his back facing the door, ramrod-straight and tense. " _Will_ he leave?"

"Well, that one's there to make sure he doesn't."

Ah, Gladio. As casual as he acted, he glanced back constantly towards Ignis, doubtlessly ready to grab him if he ran.

It was five. Noctis stepped in.

"Hello, Noct," Ignis said, without looking at him. Then he stood, bowed, and walked rapidly towards the door. "I'm afraid there's somewhere I need to be. If you'll excuse me."

Gladio shifted, blocking the door. Ignis eyed him warily.

"Sorry, prez's orders, no one's leaving for the next hour."

"You cannot stop me."

"Yeah?" Gladio stretched an arm across his chest, muscles bulging. "I'd rather not clock the guy who cooks me steak, but orders are orders."

"Ignis." Noctis had to force the words out. His throat felt tighter than a noose, and the butterflies in his stomach could cover the skies. He'd thought that Ignis was just avoiding him, but fighting Gladio just to escape him was something else. "Do you hate me that much?"

Ignis froze, standing stock-still. A moment passed, then another, before he answered in a soft voice, "I could never hate you. It is you who should hate me."

"Okay, so we all good?" Gladio looked between them, and cleared his throat loudly. "I'm gonna leave you two lovebirds alone now. But you heard me, if I see either of you outside before the hour's up, you're in for a clobbering."

If there was one person who absolutely did not fear a clobbering from Gladio, it was Ignis, but Noctis had to admit the older teen seemed stunned into stillness, and made no move to leave.

Noctis took the initiative, lightly grasping Ignis's arm and tugging him back towards the table. Surprisingly, he went, obedient as a doll.

"Why are you avoiding me?" May as well start with the most obvious question, Noctis supposed.

"I have no right to be in your presence."

Noctis crossed his arms. "Oh, come on."

"Do you not realize how close you were to death?" Anger flared in his eyes for a second before it died down, replaced by a broken apathy Noctis had never before seen. "And all of it due to my carelessness. I allowed personal feelings to cloud my judgment and placed you in terrible danger."

"Look, you couldn't have predicted that. It was my own fault anyway."

Ignis shook his head. "I agreed to an irresponsible deal and chose to honour it in an utterly reckless fashion. I knew the risks involved in removing you from the school premises, and I overestimated my ability to keep you safe. You have no need for someone like that."

"That's not true," Noctis whispered. He longed to touch the upperclassman, to hold him again, but he didn't dare move in case it drove him farther away. "I put you in a tight spot. I knew you didn't want to go on a date with me, but I just thought you might… I didn't know this was the reason. I just… wanted to know you. Figure out my feelings about you. So I selfishly tricked you into it."

"Oh, Noct." Ignis choked out a mirthless laugh, his head shaking. "You are too naive if you didn't realize I would have given anything to spend even one day with you. I jumped at the chance and made a million excuses to myself. And when the price turned out to be your life, I realized what a damned fool I was."

Noctis didn't know how to answer that. His chest squeezed painfully, and all he wanted was to gather the shattered pieces of their hearts and make them whole.

"Regardless, it makes no difference." Ignis sat up straighter, regaining composure, building up the walls that Noctis worked so hard to get through before. "We had agreed it would only be the one day, no more than that. So then, was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Why are you so determined to push me away?"  
  


"I told you already: I have no right to be in your presence. I've stolen too many moments already meant for others."

It was like a maze where every path led to a dead end.

"I talked to Luna," Noctis blurted out. "If that's what you mean. She said that… that neither she nor dad wanted to cause you pain, and it's not too late to rescind old offers."

Ignis looked at him for a long moment, face impervious while thoughts swirled behind his eyes, too fast for Noctis to catch. In the end, he stood up and turned away. "She is wrong. It is far too late. Your father chose correctly the first time."

"She told me we were friends," Noctis continued, desperation pushing the words out faster than he could think. "You said you vowed your heart away. That was to me, wasn't it? I'm the reason you wouldn't date anyone else."

A snort. "Arrogant. But not untrue."

Noctis drew a sharp breath. He had played with the idea in his head, but to hear it confirmed like this broke his heart.

"So be with me, Ignis. I'll talk to dad and Luna, and we can…"

"I will not be responsible for your death again, Noct, no matter how much you ask." Ignis turned to him, filled with pain, bitterness, the resentment of a decade. "You've forgotten me well enough once. I'm sure you can manage to do it again."

When Ignis left, Gladio did not, in fact, clobber him - at least not successfully. Noctis stayed in the room, alone, wondering how everything went so wrong.

In truth, not _everything_ was wrong; there was a lot that was still right. But the next day, a little more of everything became wrong, as Noctis found himself sitting in the headmaster's office across from Cor Leonis. The man was severe enough on a good day. On a bad day…

"This is a serious charge." The headmaster sighed and looked between the two. "Do you understand the accusation?"

"I don't make it lightly." Cor's voice was flat, his face expressionless. "There is significant evidence implicating Noctis Lucis Caelum and the agent known as 'Specs' in the death of Regis Lucis Caelum."

"There's no way!"

Both men glanced over at Noctis's outburst.

"Specs wouldn't do that," Noctis mumbled, quelling under the stares. " _I_ wouldn't do that. He's one of dad's most trusted agents. And I… dad's my _dad_."

"Nevertheless, it bears investigating. Trusted doesn't always translate to loyal. It's also possible he acted on your behalf without your knowledge. However, it is almost certain he's involved."

"I refuse to believe that."

"Believe what you want." Cor didn't even bat an eye before turning to the headmaster. "Headmaster Armaugh, by order of Clarus Amicitia, acting president of Lucis Corp, we request custody of Noctis Lucis Caelum."

The headmaster took a long breath, holding Cor's gaze. "There are rumors of traitors within the company. If these accusations are wrong, how will you ensure Noctis's safety? Regis entrusted Noctis to me, knowing this school is the safest place he can be."

"Lucis Corp will take full responsibility for Noctis."

"This isn't about responsibility." For the first time, the headmaster looked angry. "Regis is… was… my close friend. I will not gamble with his son's life."

"He was my friend too." Cor softened a touch, standing with a bow. "Weskham, as an old friend, I give my word Noctis will be in good hands. He will be under Drautos's protection directly, along with a hand-picked team of glaives, each one proven and vouched for by the captain."

Noctis looked from one man to the other. "Do I get a choice?"

"Yes. You can stay here until we issue a subpoena, but I can't guarantee your safety then. Additionally, if you cooperate with the investigation, the team will be more likely to believe you."

So, no choice, in the end. It was funny how used to it he was getting.

"Fine. When do we leave?"


	15. Hey, Specs

It was strange, coming back to the Lucis Corp headquarters after being away for so long. Noctis remembered it and didn't, recognized the areas more from articles and newscasts than from memory.

_Hey, Prompto,_ Noctis wrote on the way there, sitting in a car with darkened windows, a small bag beside him with some scant possessions. Half an hour was all Cor had given him to pack, and he didn't have a chance to say his goodbyes. _I've gotta go somewhere for a long time. I dunno when I'll be back. There's a lot of things I never told you, you must've guessed. Thanks for never asking. It's not because I didn't trust you, I just didn't want you to get involved in something dangerous, okay? I'll tell you everything when I come back._

If he came back. He wondered if he would ever see his old roommate again.

The next message was easier.

_Hey, Gladio. Dunno if you've heard, but I'm going back to Lucis HQ with Cor. I can't say more, but I should be okay. The glaives are gonna watch me. Thanks for your help at school, yeah? Can you let our friends know I'm gonna be a while?_

And finally, the most pressing, and most difficult one. Noctis picked his words carefully, knowing any communication was going to be evidence. He fought the urge to tell Specs everything, or ask him to run; it would just make things worse.

Besides, a small part of his mind whispered, maybe they were right. He couldn't deny Specs had the ability to cause his father's accident. And his father had asked Luna not to let anyone know he was alive, not even Specs.

He shook his head. The number of people he trusted implicitly could be counted on one hand, and Specs sat at the top of that list.

_Hey, Specs. Cor came to school today to get me. I'm going back to HQ with him. Don't worry about me, I should be safe. But I probably won't be able to talk to you again until this is all resolved. So I just wanted to say bye for now._

That was probably good. He chewed on his bottom lip as he hit send, and turned off his phone.

The reception at Lucis Corp was warmer than Noctis had expected. Clarus held him as close as his own son, tears in his eyes, and Drautos swore to protect him with his life. Everyone he passed gave him an impassioned welcome, leaving a trail of sunlight and excitement in his wake.

"Only top management and the investigation team know the circumstances," Cor explained. "You _are_ the heir to the company. No sense causing a panic or endangering your reputation unless the team rules against you in the end."

It didn't take long for everything to be done. Noctis gave his phone to the investigation team and answered their questions. He was at school when his father's accident occurred. No, of course he didn't order a hit on his own father. No, he had no idea Specs was involved, and didn't believe he was either. Yes, Specs told him immediately, but he was asleep. No, there was no suspicious behaviour. No, he--

"What?!" Noctis gaped at the investigator. "No, of course he didn't kidnap me."

"We have reports that you were abducted from the popular amusement park, Choco-Mogland, approximately two weeks prior."

"Yeah, but it wasn't Specs who did it. Niflheim sent people to kidnap me. Specs saved me."

The investigator wrote down his response, frowning all the while. Noctis heard mutters about how convenient it was that his phone was destroyed.

"What's your case against him, anyway?" Noctis asked, after the questions stopped. "You can't just say it's because you don't know who he is, right?"

"That _is_ one reason," the investigator said, after some hesitation. "His secrecy is high cause for concern. As the late Mr. Lucis Caelum is the only person who knew his identity, we have no way of verifying even his existence. It is entirely possible that his allegiance changed, or even that an imposter has taken up his mantle."

"I've heard you had a lot. What was it… 'significant evidence'? That's just conjecture."

"With all due respect, I'm afraid that, as a person of interest, you do not currently have access to this information."

Of course he didn't. Noctis sighed.

As the team cleared out, Drautos held out an arm. "It's getting late. I'll escort you to your room. Tomorrow, we can go over some of the company operations."

"Huh?" Noctis frowned as he took the offered arm. "Aren't I under investigations too?"

"Nah." Drautos shrugged, and the two began their walk. "Nominally, sure. But you're Regis's kid. No one in their right mind is going to think you killed him. I wouldn't put it past those two," he nodded back at the room, "to use a sham charge to lure you here."

"Then Specs--"

"'Fraid that one's very much real." The look Drautos gave him was full of pity. "I know you like him, but he's dangerous. There's all sorts of rumors floating around about him, you probably don't know since you were at that school."

"Like what?"

They stopped in front of a door, and Drautos opened it to reveal a guest room rivaling a luxury hotel. After looking down the halls, he ushered Noctis in and closed the door, his voice low. "I really shouldn't be telling you this yet, since it's a part of the investigation, but… hell, you deserve to know. I've heard allegations that he might be Regis's bastard, which explains how a cryptid like that rose to his position. It also puts him next in line after you, if you know what I mean. I've also heard he has an unhealthy obsession with you, and did some pretty questionable stuff to get his assignment being your point of contact."

"Rest assured," Drautos said with a bow, fist over heart, before leaving. "We will protect you. I'll have glaives posted outside. If you need anything, give them a holler."

In the lonely silence of the room, Noctis didn't know what to think anymore. He trusted Specs, had _always_ trusted Specs. To be told now that everything was a lie was, frankly, almost impossible to believe.

The only things he knew for sure were that his father was not dead, and he was safe for now. He wished he had someone to talk to: Specs, Prompto, Gladio, Luna… Ignis.

A knock came at the door, a glaive bringing him dinner before standing guard at his post. Noctis poked at the tiny portions of his doubtlessly fancy and unethically expensive food, wishing it was one of Ignis's rice bowls.

Wishing never did anything for anyone, though, he knew, and he fired up his laptop, determined to spend his new idle period doing something useful.

An unfruitful hour later, Noctis was yawning so much his eyes were more closed than open, and he'd come no closer to figuring out anything. He went to bed on a mattress that was too soft, diagrams and formulae swimming in his mind.

Noctis slept like a log through the night, undisturbed when his door cracked open and a figure came and went. When he finally awoke, his bag was gone.

"Drautos," Noctis asked, when the head of security invited him down for lunch, trying not to appear too worried. "Do you know what happened to my bag?"

Drautos didn't, but assured him nothing must have happened - the glaives were right there, after all! And indeed, they were, and the two that stood guard all night colluded with his story.

In the evening, after dinner - out, again - Noctis found his bag returned, along with all the contents. A housekeeper came in, apologizing, saying she took it away for cleaning.

Noctis didn't think much of the incident until the next day, when his computer was _apparently_ misplaced for several hours, and the next, when his shoes seemingly took a trip on their own.

It was almost as if someone was searching through his stuff. What were the chances?

"Apologies, Sir," one glaive said, when Noctis tried to leave, while the other frantically pushed buttons on a communicator, "but please wait for the captain to get here."

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "I know how to get around well enough."

"It might not be safe for you to go alone."

"You guys can come with me, then."

The glaives looked at each other. Noctis started down the hall.

"What's going on here?" came Drautos's commanding voice, right on cue.

Noctis gave him his most innocent smile. "Sorry, I just wanted to get some air. It's been days since I've even set foot outside."

"I'm afraid I can't allow allow you to leave the premise." Drautos said, returning the smile. "Why don't we take a walk? It might alleviate your issues."

The walk was slow and meandering, meaningless steps to meaningless places, down halls and stairs with no destination in mind.

"I wanted a chance to talk to you alone," Drautos admitted, after they were deep in an unused part of the facility. "If Clarus knew I was telling you this, he'd have my hide, but I thought you deserved to know."

Noctis stopped and turned to look at him, hands unconsciously curling into fists at his side. "Specs?"

There was one thing Noctis was absolutely certain of at this point in time: someone was lying to him, and it was either Clarus, Drautos, or Specs. All three seemed utterly and completely sincere. Drautos had the least to gain, at least as far as Noctis could tell, but if he had to pick _someone_ , he'd rather die than choose against Specs.

"Yes." Drautos sighed, a hand over his face. "I didn't want to believe it, but it seems he's after your father's notes."

"My father's notes?"

"The Ring of the Lucii." Drautos turned and continued down the hall, and Noctis hurried to keep up. "New information turned up. We have reason now to believe that that was his objective from the start. That is most likely his motive for killing your father and kidnapping you."

It was wrong, all wrong. Noctis slowed, ready to bolt. Which way was he supposed to go? He tried to retrace his way down the winding hallways and twisting paths, his brain a jumble. Did Drautos still think Noctis believed him, or did he simply not care because Noctis was good and trapped even if he tried to leave?

It was safer to assume the former, first. He forced his heartbeat to slow, tried to keep a calm and composed facade. Like Ignis.

The memory of his friend sent a tremor through his heart. He pushed it away, along with a realization he didn't want to face. Not yet. Not if he wanted to keep Ignis safe.

"Oh yeah?" Noctis said, proud of how his voice didn't waver. "How much do you reckon he knows?"

"More than we'd like." Drautos took a few steps back when Noctis didn't follow. "He has the location and the password already. I hope you've relocated it after you told him."

"Um. Yeah. I did."

"Is it secure?" Even a deaf man could hear the hunger in his voice. "Where is it?"

"Safe. What does he want with it, anyway?"

The stare Drautos gave him was hard and cold and full of greed. "Selling it, probably. Most people would pay good money to get their hands on secret research of the illustrious Lucis Caelums."

Most people didn't know about secret research, Noctis wanted to say. Most people also couldn't make any sense of the secret research, if his luck so far was any indication.

"He's not your friend, Noct." Drautos went on one knee and put his hands on Noctis's shoulders. This time, there was no madness in his eyes, only an intense concern that made Noctis aching to believe him, if only he picked a different opponent. "You saw him when he brought you back, didn't you? Do you have any clues to his identity? Anything you can tell us will keep you safer."

Noctis did have a clue. He had more than a clue, and he kept desperately pushing the thought away.

He shook his head.

Drautos held the gaze for a moment more, then shook his head, muttering, "You really don't know, huh?"

"How did he know so much about the Ring?" It was a change of topic, but Noctis would take what he could while Drautos felt like talking. He was so close to figuring it all out, he just needed one last piece. "I've barely heard about it and I'm supposed to be the next company head."

Drautos stood again, shrugged. "Someone in Niflheim was probably feeding him information."

That part, Noctis didn't doubt. But it didn't make sense, until it suddenly did, as soon as the question left his lips. "So how did the Niffs know about it?"

Noctis froze. There was only one answer, but it was so insane it had to be impossible, even if there was no other possibility.

"Noct," Drautos said mildly, "for both our sakes, you should really learn not to ask too many questions. You've been through a lot lately, so why don't you let me take some of that off your shoulders? Give me the Ring of the Lucii for safekeeping, and you can go back to your classes and your friends."

"I'm not going to be this generous forever," Drautos said, when Noctis didn't answer. "Just accept your loss gracefully, as befitting someone of your position. There's need to get hurt this time, no Specs to save you either."

Noctis took a step back as Drautos advanced. He was right, of course, logically speaking. There was no way for Noctis to contact Specs, and without Specs, there was very little he could do. He was alone, facing the head of the greatest security team in the world, with no way to differentiate between ally and enemy.

His only weapon was the Ring of the Lucii. And it was a weapon, he recalled. Poison, his father had noted, and he had confirmed. But maybe not poison to all.

"Ardyn Lucis Caelum," Noctis murmured. "He's the one who told you, isn't he?"

"I thought I told you to stop asking questions." Drautos pulled out his phone as he pressed forward again, steering Noctis towards a closed door. "Battalion 1 to Sector 3. Seal off all exits from lower levels. Have Battalion 2 head off Amicitia to stop interference."

The door handle behind him was loose. Their final destination, Noctis assumed.

"Did you know he's over 200 years old?"

It gave Drautos a moment of pause.

Noctis grabbed the phone out of his hand and slipped through the door in one motion, quickly slamming it shut and locking it. He wasn't under any illusions that it would keep someone of Drautos's strength and resources out for long, but he didn't need long.

"Crying to your nursemaid again?" Drautos asked through the door with a derisive snort. "Even a dog like him knows better than to walk into a lion's den."

There was, of course, Specs's name in Drautos's phone; Noctis wasn't surprised the security chief was in contact with the head of the intelligence division. But what was the use of that? Even Noctis wouldn't be dumb enough to answer anything from anyone, not now, not in Specs's position. Drautos probably counted on it, as he stood there leisurely jiggling the door handle and shaking a ring of keys for Noctis to hear.

But Drautos was right, despite Noctis's insistent lies. He knew who Specs was, and tried his best to pretend he didn't.

If he were right, it would make everything from the start of the school year hurt that much more; it would make Specs's warnings more poignant, the more excruciating. It would mean Specs might walk away, and Noctis would never be able to talk with him again.

Heart breaking, Noctis dialed a number he'd burnt into memory, one he didn't want to forget despite instructions otherwise.

"Scientia speaking."

"Hey, Specs," Noctis whispered, eyes closed against an onslaught of tears. "I have orders for you. Titus Drautos is a traitor. Glaive battalions 1 and 2 are turncoats, maybe more. Take them in and clear a path to sector 3 basement. And..." he drew a shuddering breath. "Regis Lucis Caelum is alive. Ask the Oracle, and bring him home."

There was a pause. Noctis wondered, momentarily, if he was wrong, and wished desperately that he was.

The answer came, clear as crystal and as sharp: "Understood."


	16. The Ring of the Lucii

When Drautos opened the door, the lights were on, and Noctis lounged in a chair, one leg crossed over the other. On the table before him sat two objects: Drautos's phone, quite thoroughly smashed, and a small ring of darkened metal.

Drautos eyed the ring first, then the phone, brow raised. "Bit extreme there."

Noctis shrugged. "Didn't want you to trace my call."

"I hope you weren't foolish enough to call Specs." Drautos approached slowly, no less menacing in his wariness.

"Doesn't matter what I did." Another shrug. Noctis waved one arm over the table. "This is what you want, isn't it?"

"The Ring of the Lucii…"

"Two hundred years ago, the Starscourge spread through the country." Noctis picked up the ring, twirled it between his fingers. "Somnus Lucis Caelum found the cure, and Lucis Corp made its mark on history."

When Drautos was close enough, Noctis tossed him the ring.

"Ardyn Lucis Caelum found something better," Noctis continued. "Immortality. Isn't that right, Glauca?"

"Hmm." Drautos examined the ring, then looked to Noctis. "So you've got it all figured out, have you?"

"Most," Noctis corrected. He nodded towards Drautos. "There's the Ring of the Lucii. It's got a secret compartment with a memory card holding the formula for Ardyn's elixir of life. Now that you know what's in it, are you really just going to hand it off to Niflheim?"

Half-truths sprinkled with lies. Noctis spared no efforts in this final gambit, teetering on a knife's edge.

Drautos pocketed the ring, but didn't make to leave. Noctis could feel him test the bait, and waited.

After a moment more, Drautos pulled up a chair and sat across from Noctis. His movements were cautious, even in assured victory, though Noctis wouldn't have expected anything less.

"This is a sudden change of heart," Drautos said. "I'm sure you understand if I'm skeptical of your good intentions."

"I couldn't reach Specs," Noctis admitted, trying to appear as pathetic as he could. "He's never… _not_ been there for me, you know? I can't beat you, can't get out. Heh, even Specs can't beat you anyway. So, like you said, easier to give up. If you let me go back to school, that's all I can really ask. My friends must be worried sick about me now."

"Poor kid." The pity might almost be real this time. Drautos reached over and ruffled his hair. "So you gave me the ring. Why tell me what it is?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'd rather you have it than the Niffs."

"Me? The turncoat?"

"Well, I mean, I'd rather keep it." Noctis looked down at his hands. "But I've grown up with you, I know you'd have a good reason. Niflheim is probably trying to make bioweapons or something. ...They are, aren't they."

"Beats me." Drautos shrugged. "I do their dirty work, they help with my goals."

"Goals?"

Drautos grunted, and didn't answer.

It felt strange, Noctis thought, sitting there, talking amicably about hopes and dreams. Enemies, but old friends. Superior and subordinate, yet hostage and guard.

"You know I won't be able to make heads or tails of your ring?" Drautos broke the silence first.

"Yeah. Well." Noctis gestured to the room around them. "It's not like I'm here by accident. You wanted me in this room, right? You knew it was a formula, so you wanted me to make it. Well. I had a look and I probably can?"

There was a laugh, bitter, amused, and resigned all at once. "You're sharp. It's a pity we're not on the same side. Go ahead, then."

The mixture, as Noctis discovered, was much harder to make than he had initially expected. For one, he had to do all of it from memory. He'd seen the formula enough times to know it by heart, but finding all the components, measuring, and mixing them exhaustive amounts of concentration.

And when he was done, he was left with a deadly, heart-stopping poison, shimmering innocuously in a delicate glass vial.

"Welp, this should be it."

Noctis wasn't very sure of himself.

Drautos took one look at the result and said, "You first."

Noctis _really_ wasn't very sure of himself, but he squeezed his eyes shut and took a sip of the liquid, every logical part of his mind screaming that under no circumstances was he to drink strange chemical mixtures prescribed two centuries ago that had killed multiple people.

But Ardyn had survived, and was alive now. Lucis Caelum genetic mutation, his father had guessed. The curse of the founder.

After a good while, when Noctis showed no signs of dying, Drautos reached took a swig of the mixture.

Hook, line, and sinker.

"Let's see if this little 'elixir of life' of yours really works."

Noctis smiled sadly, a bitter victory won.

The way Noctis heard it, later, Ignis had arrived at the headquarters with Gladio and Nyx, and the three had managed a swift and complete takeover of the building. Gladio's description included "utter Pandemonium", and Nyx's ran along the lines of "not much worse than a training exercise."

In the aftermath, Lunafreya escorted Regis in, weary but alive, and the struggle was finally all over.

Noctis didn't find out all of this until later, busy as he was, sitting in the basement beside a dying man he used to look up to.

"Noct…"

When the door opened to reveal Ignis, sleeves ripped and glasses askew, Noctis wrapped his arms around the older teen and wept, in grief, in fear, and in relief.

"It's all right now. Everything is all right now."

Noctis took a deep breath, in, and out, and nodded. "...Yeah. Thanks, Specs."

Ignis cleared his throat, though his hold tightened a little. "I am not deserving of that title, nor your gratitude. It was your own ingenuity that brought us to this conclusion. I am truly proud of you, Noct."

It felt good to have Ignis's praise - _Specs's_ praise.

"Go ahead, Noct. I'll call an ambulance for Captain Drautos. Your father is waiting in his office."

If Noctis could feel happier, he didn't know how. He was safe, his _father_ was safe, Ignis was here--

The feeling vanished with Ignis's next words.

"I… will be handing in my resignation once we finish cleaning up." Ignis looked down, gently untangling himself from Noctis and pushing him away. "I wanted you to be the first to know. You have a quick mind, and good friends to support you. There is nothing more I can do for you."

"What?" Noctis felt as if his breath was sucked out of him. "No! I need you. Ignis, _and_ Specs. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'll be fine. I believe in you." Ignis gave him a soft, forlorn smile. "I have overindulged myself for far too long already. Good-bye, Noct. May life treat you kindly."

Ever the master of efficiency, Ignis was checking Drautos's pulse and calling the hospital when Gladio came to collect Noctis with no indication of the conversation that had just passed.

Be strong, Noctis reminded himself, when he met his father again for the first time in months. Be dignified. Be the future of the company, and make his father proud.

An impromptu feast was thrown that evening in honour of the president's return, arranged, allegedly, by the mysterious spymaster "Specs". Noctis smiled at everyone, and shook many hands, and noticed that the man responsible for it all wasn't present.

Late at night, alone with his father, Noctis talked. About school, about Prompto, about Gladio, and about Specs, and Ignis. He described the cooking club, and, hesitantly, his date, and his memories of the boy with the glasses, who he'd see in his dreams but never be able to reach in life.

And his father listened, and told him a story of the boy he'd grown up with, and of the mistake he'd made sending that boy away.

"I have made many choices in my life," Regis said, at the end, as if he was filled with a decade of regret. "Choices that I thought were the best I could make, under the circumstances. Right or wrong, I can't undo them, nor would I - except one. I sacrificed Ignis's happiness so he could become Specs for you, but I never intended to keep you apart. Noctis, it is a difficult road you choose, but if you are determined to walk it, I will support your choice... And Ignis's."

The next day, a car came to bring Noctis back to school, to the life he longed for, and to his last chance.

"Juuuuuuuuust gonna squeeze in," Gladio said, as he squeezed in. "Iggy not coming?"

"I don't know."

Something in Noctis's expression must have warned the older teen, and he asked no questions.

Prompto, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as judicious.

"Noct?" The blond perked up like a puppy when Noctis entered their dorm, mouth running a mile a minute. "Noooooct! Welcome back! Oh man, I can't believe how long you've been gone for! What happened to you? Is everything okay?"

"Hey, Prompto." Noctis smiled. "It's a long story, and I'm not sure if you're going to believe it. I'm. Uh. Well. My real name is Noctis Lucis Caelum."

"Huh, like the one from that company?"

"I _am_ the one from that company."

"What?" Prompto stared, mouth agape. "WHAAAAAAAAT? Noct, why didn't you tell me? That's so cool! Oh man, I can't believe I'm friends with someone that famous. Is _that_ how you're engaged to Miss Lunafreya?"

"Yeah." Noctis felt a twinge of regret. Luna… No, it was just as unfair to her, to waver now.

"Oh yeah," Prompto said, pulling out a small paper bag Noctis recognized. "Ignis asked me to give you this."  
  


"Ignis? He's back?" Noctis could tell by the smell what the snack was before he opened it. And there it sat, gilded crust and ruby-red filling, sweet and tart and uniquely Ignis.

"Yeah, but he's acting kinda weird. I mean, he's always kinda weird, but he was really sad-like, you know? He was packing, said he was transferring away, so if there's anything else I wanna eat, I better tell him today."

Noctis's breath stopped. He put the tart on the table, carefully, and then he dashed out, ignoring Prompto's shouts of, "Wait, Noct, we have class soon!"

Room 305 was empty, as it should be, but a delicious fragrance wafted out from the kitchen. Noctis walked in, slowly, like a hunter following a skittish deer, half-expecting to find it empty, but, no, Ignis was there, back turned to him, cooking up a counterful of dishes.

"Noct."

Noctis nearly jumped at the word.

"What brings you here today? I didn't plan to see you again."

"You didn't run away this time," Noctis pointed out.

"No, I didn't." Ignis turned off the stove, and washed his hands, and stayed facing away. "As I've said once, I am only human. Perhaps I wanted to steal a moment more of your time before I lose the chance forever."

"Don't." Noctis closed the gap between them and hesitantly grasped Ignis's hand. He was babbling now, half-formed thoughts and nonsense pouring from his lips, but anything he could do to keep Ignis there for even one second longer, he would try. "Don't leave, I mean. Unless you want to. And I know you don't, you said so yourself. So you should stay with me. I've even talked to dad and Luna, and I… want to live my life with you. Okay?"

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Noctis turned him, slowly, until they were face to face. "I can't think of anyone who's cared more about me, anyone I'd rather be beside."

Ignis said nothing, but he relaxed, one hand drifting around Noctis's waist.

"If you go, I won't ever stop looking for you," Noctis murmured. "I can be just as stubborn as you, you know."

"Noct…" Ignis took an uneven breath, then gave him a rueful smile. "In the end, I can deny you nothing. You will be the death of me yet."

"Hopefully not." Noctis drew the older teen down into a kiss, as hesitant as it was painful, a million promises renewed. "I'd rather we live, for a long, long time."


End file.
